Biology- Folk's got some freaky stuff for ya! (just read)

So I know in biology we're taught all about basic genetics and chromosomes etc. BUT, it's actually possible to cross species (sorry Sammi).
I'm not saying you can cross a bird and a dog...

However, some of you may be surprised to learn that some species CAN cross despite the chromosome difference.
A mule is a perfect example and perhaps the oldest in existence.

Horses and Donkeys are both different species with different chromosome counts.
Horses have 62
Donkeys have 64
So:
Mules have 63
The resulting animal (the mule or hinny) is sterile because of the difference in chromosomes.
*Note that in rare cases, even the difference in chromosomes can't keep nature from taking course. There ARE cases (quite rare) of hybrid animals being fertile.

It's actually pretty cool. If you happen to have, let's say, a fertile Hinny (male horse, female donkey) and you bred the animal to a horse...
The resulting foal would be 100% horse! Cool huh? And the same process goes for donkeys.
Same for a mule of course. The only real problem is the offspring is usually very weak and rarely survives. Again, it HAS happened though. "Google it" ;D

More hybrid animals that may shock you:
Cama-camel, llama
http://www.jonco48.com/blog/cama01.jpg
http://www.hemmy.net/images/animals/cama03.jpg
Wolphin-false killer whale,dolphin
FKW have 44 teeth, dolphins 88, wolphin 66
http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/wholphin.jpg
Liger/Tigon-(females are often fertile)
Ligers are prone to gigantism, tigons to dwarfism
http://www.goodshepherdinitiative.org/Creation/liger.jpg
Zorse/Zony-
http://ambassadors.net/archives/issue14/zorse2.jpg
Wolfdog-
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/08/07/images/xlarge/A_1_1Aeyes_193189_0807.jpg
Leopon-leopard,lion
http://fauvesdumonde.free.fr/hybride/hybride_fichier/japanese_leopon.jpg
Grolar-grizzly,polarbear
http://alogicadosabino.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/grolar01.jpg
Ti-liger-(stay with me)
tiger,liger cross (nature is crazy eh?)
http://www.ecology.md/articles/gibrids/tiliger01.jpg
(I know it just looks like a tiger, trust me...I study this stuff like people drink water)

Human,chimps-(It's never been done but due to our genetic make up being 99.9% the same, it's possible. Just VERY taboo haha.) We can even get blood transfusions from chimps. Suck on that!

more info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hybrid_(biology)

I think I actually followed you on this, but I probably wouldn't of if I didn't just take biology this year. This is actually pretty cool and I am not a fan of any type science.

YaY!
Professor Folk's phrase of the day is "Achtung baby".

That is AWESOME! I love science like this! Thanks for posting that!

You're welcome! I love this stuff too. It's really fun to stump you're friends when you bring up things like ligers. They always assume you're joking because "it couldn't be possible" but now you've got proof!

Always be careful when bringing up the subject of inter-species nookie though.
You'll just be called a perv if people can't follow you're train of thought.

Folklorn wrote:

You're welcome! I love this stuff too. It's really fun to stump you're friends when you bring up things like ligers. They always assume you're joking because "it couldn't be possible" but now you've got proof!

Always be careful when bringing up the subject of inter-species nookie though.
You'll just be called a perv if people can't follow you're train of thought.

Fa sho!! That is so true! Just about any science is fun for me and I'll be thinking people are sooo following me when I get really in to some topic and then I look around and I just get a bunch of blank stares.

haha, i loved our biology lesson in this week's episode and this was cool too!
t4p!

Brie, the question I have though is that if vampires have 2 more Chromosomes than people and wrewolves only have 1 more than people, wouldn't Nessie be the same breed as a shapeshifter/werewolf? Because she has the same chromosome count as her wolf-people

nomadgirl wrote:

Brie, the question I have though is that if vampires have 2 more Chromosomes than people and werewolves only have 1 more than people, wouldn't Nessie be the same breed as a shapeshifter/werewolf? Because she has the same chromosome count as her wolf-people

OOOooooh now THIS is a fun question! I swear, sometimes the fans really find amazing plot points and loose threads that the author seems to have missed COMPLETELY. Not to bash Steph, but I think towards the end she was really more or less just trying to end the series. So many things...anyway.

Focus Brie!
Okay, You bring up a good point. I think she did all of this to try and make R/J a plausible "thing" and basically to attempt to make sense out of thin air. It didn't work but C+ for trying. To be fair, there are plenty of different species with the same chromosome count. Numbers aren't exclusive to one species on the planet but in the realm of humanoid-creatures, it's really odd that things would turn out like that. I don't think swamp child would be a shifter because her chromosome count is the same, but there's no reason for her to have a different count than a normal human. Let me explain below.

Falling back to the first problem with the "rules"(I use that term loosely), it makes NO SENSE for vampires to have a different chromosome count in the first place. PERHAPS it would be possible with the very first vampire in existence IF it happened to be a mutation or some other natural occurrence. We never find out obviously. However, a person's chromosome count shouldn't change just because they became a vampire. I don't care what kind of sci-fi rules are being made up on the spot. That kind of thing happens genetically in utero. H3ll, we're talking genetics make up! It's not like being born blond or albino. There's just no reason for it. Edward and all vamps are, at their core, dead humans. SAME CHROMOSOME COUNT! Relalala-loo should have just as many chromes as we do.

Side rant ( you know you love it ): I've never understood the whole super speed thing and extra sense. If we're looking at dead people realistically (I know, roll with me here) wouldn't it make more sense for them to be fighting rigger mortis at every turn? It's sort of a funny thought. Instead of speedy Edward, he should be slow and constantly moving to keep his body from going stiff. His sense should be almost gone and you know...dead stuff...BACK ON TOPIC!

But fine, assuming it's somehow possible to change your chromosome count without pulling said creature apart at the molecular level, loch ness brat should be freaking sterile all the way! I mean, god forbid she can have kids and ends up producing werepiremans. Her and Jake are never going to die either so theoretically the world could be repopulated by her spawn at some point in the distant never-going-to-happen-middle-earth world. I'm not religious but I have to imagine God would be like "dude, where did those come from? I didn't see them on the ark!". It's like the equivalent of ti-ligers. no one knows what the frack to do with them.
What would werepiremans eat anyway? elk and eggs with a little bloodlite on the side?
She's just opening a whole new Pandora's box with this ridiculousness.

Going back to point one...Jake shouldn't have a different chromosome count either. He's a shifter, not a real werewolf.
It's all poppycock!

No one should have a different count save for the real werewolves and possibly the very first vampire. Even if they did, it's possible for different species to share the same C count.
I wonder if she ever took biology.
That was fun, thanks for the question!

DanaBug wrote:

Folklorn wrote:

You're welcome! I love this stuff too. It's really fun to stump you're friends when you bring up things like ligers. They always assume you're joking because "it couldn't be possible" but now you've got proof!

Always be careful when bringing up the subject of inter-species nookie though.
You'll just be called a perv if people can't follow you're train of thought.

Fa sho!! That is so true! Just about any science is fun for me and I'll be thinking people are sooo following me when I get really in to some topic and then I look around and I just get a bunch of blank stares.

That happens to me a LOT. That's why I keep most of my nerd info to myself unless I'm talking to close friends.

ohmyedward wrote:

haha, i loved our biology lesson in this week's episode and this was cool too!
t4p!

Biology can be fun when the topic is interesting. Too bad most teachers and professors are rather boring. Welcome to Twilight Biology! Can you imagine how popular that class would be? XD

I took a some biology this past year and I completely agree with what you are saying (Sorry, Sammi. You cannot change science.)

As for Demon-Child and Jacob having children, I do not think that is possible. The result would be super creepy and not genetically possible. A werewolf-vampire? Since they both are part human, I think their foreign traits would be most dominant in both of them. So their child would probably be able to phase, eat food and drink blood, have darker skin, brownish-red-blackish hair and brown eyes.

Thanks for the mini biology lesson, Folk!

^^ v

It's stuff like this that always makes me look at hardcore scientists and go "Really? Not even a CHANCE Bigfoot is real?" haha

Oh but Ti-Ligers, totally trufax.

Folklorn wrote:

ohmyedward wrote:

haha, i loved our biology lesson in this week's episode and this was cool too!
t4p!

Biology can be fun when the topic is interesting. Too bad most teachers and professors are rather boring. Welcome to Twilight Biology! Can you imagine how popular that class would be? XD

i know! i'm actually going to TwiCon next month and there is a "Biology of Twilight" program where they are gonna talk all about this stuffs Unfortunately, it overlaps with Hillywood's Q&A and Dance panel so... poo! lol

ohmyedward wrote:

Folklorn wrote:

ohmyedward wrote:

haha, i loved our biology lesson in this week's episode and this was cool too!
t4p!

Biology can be fun when the topic is interesting. Too bad most teachers and professors are rather boring. Welcome to Twilight Biology! Can you imagine how popular that class would be? XD

i know! i'm actually going to TwiCon next month and there is a "Biology of Twilight" program where they are gonna talk all about this stuffs Unfortunately, it overlaps with Hillywood's Q&A and Dance panel so... poo! lol

LUUUUCKY! I won't be there so if you end up at that panel PLEASE use one of these examples. Hell, contact me if you need to! I just want to know how people react to this information. It's fantastic to screw with peoples minds |D
I lurve it!

lol. if i end up at that panel then i will definitely talk about all these examples
but-- i'm probably gonna end up at Hillywood's thing unless it gets boring. lol