“If the wizarding gene is dominant, as J.K. Rowling says in her famous series of Harry Potter books, then how can a wizard be born to muggle parents (non-magical people)? And how can there be squibs (non-magical people born into wizarding lines)?
It seems these baffling genetic questions have finally been answered, thanks to Andrea Klenotiz, a biology student at the University of Delaware.
In a six-page paper, which she sent to Rowling, Klenotiz outlines how the wizarding gene works and even explains why some witches and wizards are more powerful than others.
“Magical ability could be explained by a single autosomal dominant gene if it is caused by an expansion of trinucleotide repeats with non-Mendelian ratios of inheritance,” Klenotiz explains.
What does this mean?
In school we learn the fundamentals of genetics by studying Gregory Mendel’s pea plant experiments and completing basic Punnett squares. Basically, we’re taught that whenever one copy of a gene linked to a dominant trait is present, then the offspring will exhibit that dominant trait, regardless of the other gene.
However, Non-Mendelian genes don’t follow this rule, which is the basis of Klenotiz’s argument. She says that the wizarding gene could be explained if it’s caused by a trinucleotide repeat, which is the repetition of three nucleotides — the building blocks of DNA — multiple times.
These repeats can be found in normal genes, but sometimes many more copies of this repeated code can appear in genes than is standard, causing a mutation. This kind of mutation is responsible for genetic diseases like Huntington’s Disease. Depending upon how many of these repeats occur in the genes, a person could exhibit no symptoms, could have a mild form of the disease or could have a severe form of it.
In her paper, Klenotiz argues that eggs with high levels of these repeats are more likely to be fertilized, a phenomenon known as transmission ratio distortion. She also suggests that the egg or sperm with high levels of repeats is less likely to be created or to survive in the wizarding womb.
This argument answers several questions about wizarding genetics:
How can a wizard be born to muggle parents?
Genetic mutations can randomly appear, meaning anyone could be born with the wizarding gene. However, there’s a better chance of magical offspring occurring if the parents are on the high side of the normal range for mutations.
How can a squib be born to wizard parents?
Although parents with these mutated magical genes would be likely to pass the gene on to their children, there’s still a possibility that any given offspring might not inherit the trinucleotide repeat.
How can varying degrees of magical ability be explained?
The more repeats a wizard inherits, the stronger the magical power he or she will have. If both wizarding parents are powerful wizards, it’s likely their offspring will also be powerful.
You can read Klenotiz’s full paper on wizarding genetics here.”
Being magical is a disease. Or y’know… maybe it’s just magic.
(via tugachestavie)
also, see: Muggle Mondays and Dr. Who Happy Hour
- January 11
- , 2013
(Source: skyastrid, via thegoodfilms)
In my opinion, best day of the week.
Vernon Dursley
- November 11
- , 2012
GUYS GUYS. My roommate and I are watching Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and decorating for Christmas :]] what a fantastic time of year!
The wall above my bed in my dorm room.
I’m sure everyone has ranted about this at some point, but honestly, why are they making Mockingjay into a two-part movie? Why? Is anyone actually excited about this? It makes absolutely no sense at all. Mockingjay is the worst of the three books. It was lame - countless people have told me so. Why does it need to be broken into two parts?
Jennifer Lawrence starts off by explaining it this way: “You want everything in there, but you don’t have enough room, and you’re trying to decide what’s going to get cut and what isn’t. So it was a relief on the last one to know that we don’t really have to cut anything. We have enough time, we have enough room to really tell this story to the fullest, and we don’t need to cut anything.”
But that is complete bullshit. You have plenty of room! Mockingjay is a shrimp of a book. Breaking Dawn isn’t even long enough or plot-filled enough to justify breaking it into a two-part movie. The creators have to resort to adding in fluff that never happened in the book such as the countless fight scenes my roommate rails on about. It’s ridiculous. The only book that makes sense being broken into two parts is Deathly Hallows. Partly because the world was not ready for Harry Potter to end, and partly because there honestly was so much plot going on there. The book was lengthy and it was filled with tons of plot and storylines. There were big battle sequences and heartfelt tearjerkers with Dobby’s death and the whole Hermione-Bellatrix thing and all the deaths in general. Deathly Hallows deserved to be broken into two parts.
Now here is where Lawrence gets real with us: “But what I’m really thinking is yacht, yacht. My own island.”
She may be joking around, but she’s completely right. She will make a shitload of money making another film. Everyone who has a hand in creating the film will make a shitton of money. And that’s what it’s all about. Completely ludicrous and asinine. I will not be contributing my money and patronage to either of the Mockingjay films.
Harry Potter deserves to be the only franchise with a two-part movie. Because it’s Harry Potter. Twilight ruined that, and I’m sure countless other screen adaptions will follow suit. Stop trying to find the next Harry Potter. It’s not going to happen.
(Source: asheathes, via theworldofmaria)
(Source: freakingpotter2, via this-little-infinity)
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Girlfriend:
What's the point of going to college if we can't learn to apparate?
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Me:
Fuck college. Let's go to Hogwarts.
Oh I’ve always felt that the Potter [franchise] was not acknowledged in the way that it should be. They don’t look at the accomplishment, they just go, “oh, it’s a kids movie”. I think they should’ve come up with a special Oscar for it, really. Or a BAFTA. Because it is a phenomenon that will never, ever be repeated. It is a cinematic achievement. So that’s my take, for what it’s worth.
Gary Oldman, on the Harry Potter films being snubbed by award shows. (x)(Source: andrwgarfield, via eternallywright)
(Source: dj-jellybean, via little-twerking-annie)
(via little-twerking-annie)
The closing shot of every Harry Potter movie.
(via inthistowncalledmalice)
(Source: risarodil, via inthistowncalledmalice)
