Heh, the whole process of writing this was me realizing just how complex the subject is and how little I know. (Not a scientist, don't play one on TV either!) I mean, I knew genetics was complex, but trying to read up on it really makes you appreciate how much so. Luckily the "it's complicated" factor works in our favor. I think.
I wouldn't be surprised either if wizards don't know about genes. I wonder just how much they do know about inheritance, and whether all that knowledge flies out the window when they're specifically considering the inheritance of magic in humans? ("Yeah, it works like that for hippogriffs, but we're so much higher on the Great Chain of Being, so it's different!")
Mendel did his experiments on pea plants... *checks* over 150 years ago. Have wizards even made it that far? It isn't as immediately, obviously useful (and just plain obvious that something new has been discovered) as trains and radios, so it's hard to guess. Hm. Neville figured out a lot of the Room of Requirement's functions, and he's good with plants. Maybe he'll experiment with puffapods? Or some of his students might, one day?
/Mendel did his experiments on pea plants... *checks* over 150 years ago. Have wizards even made it that far?/
When it comes to wizards and muggle technology I like to think about them as aliens from alternative reality where laws of physics works in different way. They don't understand how muggle technology works, they sometimes manage to tinker with it and add their own spin, but generally messing around with it is frowned upon because the results can be dangerous for everybody involved.
That being said wizards isolating themselves from muggles should cause them to develop differently when it comes to technology. Maybe they never delve into genetics, but have unique understanding of black matter? It's a shame we get to explore this universe from high-scholler's POV ;P
I don't want to give anyone headaches, but does anyone have any idea how Hagrid managed to create his Frankensteinian monsters? Manticores and Fire Crabs sounds as highly incompatible pair for cross-breeding. If anything I would expect Manticore to eat the crab.
It would make sense and be really cool if they did understand certain subjects really well. Depending on how their various forms of instantaneous transportation work, maybe they know a lot about the structure of the universe? Like, they know all the weird theoretical physics things that explain how really these bits of the universe are touching in ways we can't perceive but magic can let you use. Like the Flatlanders who can't see in three dimensions but could pop through if their flat land was folded back on itself--they would see it as suddenly vanishing and appearing somewhere far away.
Magical breeding must be really weird. Even if you could use artificial insemination, how are manticores and fire crabs even compatible enough to have offspring? Are they actually as closely related as donkeys and horses? Or can you do something with magic to make ordinarily-incompatible gametes join into a viable zygote? Does it only work with highly magical animals, or could they make cat-dogs and cat-parrots if they wanted?
It makes me wonder about time-turners. Hermione's warning in POA honestly sounds like white-lie Unspeakables tell to people who have no idea how time-turners work and their consequences. Because how meeting face-to-face with yourself would be so shocking to cause murder and mayhem? What if time travelling AND making meaningful changes actually splits the timeline? I suspect students are allowed to use time-turners for educational purporses because they already planned to attend those classes so there is no split in timeline, but what Hermione did near end of POA? That had giant impact on the universe. She is such lucky girl, being best friend with our local celebrity who is treated like Jesus. Snape saying she was under Black's mind-control surely helped her case.
Wizards perceiving world around them in very different way is cool idea :D I was aiming for their research just being more advanced in that area, but them actually perceiving reality differently is very interesting direction to go with.
Hmmm this opens up another can of worms- just how magically inclined Hagrid is? Because depending on difficulty of such procedure we have to pick between creating magical abominations being child's play and Hagrid actually employing someone to create those monsters.
Yeah, Hermione would have known her other self was running around that year and wouldn't have been surprised to run into herself. Annoyed at her carelessness, maybe, but she wouldn't hex herself in a panic. (I don't know why she didn't think to use it to get some extra sleep. Draw those curtains and cuddle up with herself! Why not? She knows she's there!) The bigger danger would seem to be other people realizing there's two of you and suspecting a Polyjuiced imposter or something else nefarious. Or, as you say, breaking time.
I don't know about actual perception--the Flatlanders wouldn't perceive the third dimension even if they could understand it intellectually and figure out how to pop through the points that touch. But that would be interesting! I think if anyone perceives space differently, though, it's probably the house-elves, who seem to be much better at popping through space than humans.
Magical inter-species hybrids being easy to create would be such chaos. But maybe that's why it's so heavily regulated? Hagrid's probably been practicing this particular skill for about fifty years, which ought to be enough time to get good at it if he has sufficient ability (however much that is). Hagrid hiring someone might almost be scarier, though. If there's an illicit monster-breeder working out of the Hog's Head, Hagrid probably isn't his only customer, right? So what else is going on?
Severus took huge risks in that cover-up. Sitting on the information that Remus hid knowledge of the tunnels and Sirius's Animagus ability, not to mention those jolly romps, probably makes him an accessory after the fact to major crimes. And what does he get for it? "Getting" to play Bad Cop again so Dumbledore can get a disgraced Remus with a perfect cover story to start spying on the werewolves without having to take any blame for the situation. Even though Dumbledore is the one who knowingly gave Remus a cursed job and so knew the year had to end with Remus either dead, Kissed, sent to Azkaban, publicly exposed, or something else dreadful.
I wouldn't be surprised either if wizards don't know about genes. I wonder just how much they do know about inheritance, and whether all that knowledge flies out the window when they're specifically considering the inheritance of magic in humans? ("Yeah, it works like that for hippogriffs, but we're so much higher on the Great Chain of Being, so it's different!")
Mendel did his experiments on pea plants... *checks* over 150 years ago. Have wizards even made it that far? It isn't as immediately, obviously useful (and just plain obvious that something new has been discovered) as trains and radios, so it's hard to guess. Hm. Neville figured out a lot of the Room of Requirement's functions, and he's good with plants. Maybe he'll experiment with puffapods? Or some of his students might, one day?
Reply
When it comes to wizards and muggle technology I like to think about them as aliens from alternative reality where laws of physics works in different way. They don't understand how muggle technology works, they sometimes manage to tinker with it and add their own spin, but generally messing around with it is frowned upon because the results can be dangerous for everybody involved.
That being said wizards isolating themselves from muggles should cause them to develop differently when it comes to technology. Maybe they never delve into genetics, but have unique understanding of black matter?
It's a shame we get to explore this universe from high-scholler's POV ;P
I don't want to give anyone headaches, but does anyone have any idea how Hagrid managed to create his Frankensteinian monsters? Manticores and Fire Crabs sounds as highly incompatible pair for cross-breeding. If anything I would expect Manticore to eat the crab.
Reply
Magical breeding must be really weird. Even if you could use artificial insemination, how are manticores and fire crabs even compatible enough to have offspring? Are they actually as closely related as donkeys and horses? Or can you do something with magic to make ordinarily-incompatible gametes join into a viable zygote? Does it only work with highly magical animals, or could they make cat-dogs and cat-parrots if they wanted?
Reply
Because how meeting face-to-face with yourself would be so shocking to cause murder and mayhem?
What if time travelling AND making meaningful changes actually splits the timeline?
I suspect students are allowed to use time-turners for educational purporses because they already planned to attend those classes so there is no split in timeline, but what Hermione did near end of POA? That had giant impact on the universe. She is such lucky girl, being best friend with our local celebrity who is treated like Jesus. Snape saying she was under Black's mind-control surely helped her case.
Wizards perceiving world around them in very different way is cool idea :D
I was aiming for their research just being more advanced in that area, but them actually perceiving reality differently is very interesting direction to go with.
Hmmm this opens up another can of worms- just how magically inclined Hagrid is? Because depending on difficulty of such procedure we have to pick between creating magical abominations being child's play and Hagrid actually employing someone to create those monsters.
Reply
I don't know about actual perception--the Flatlanders wouldn't perceive the third dimension even if they could understand it intellectually and figure out how to pop through the points that touch. But that would be interesting! I think if anyone perceives space differently, though, it's probably the house-elves, who seem to be much better at popping through space than humans.
Magical inter-species hybrids being easy to create would be such chaos. But maybe that's why it's so heavily regulated? Hagrid's probably been practicing this particular skill for about fifty years, which ought to be enough time to get good at it if he has sufficient ability (however much that is). Hagrid hiring someone might almost be scarier, though. If there's an illicit monster-breeder working out of the Hog's Head, Hagrid probably isn't his only customer, right? So what else is going on?
Severus took huge risks in that cover-up. Sitting on the information that Remus hid knowledge of the tunnels and Sirius's Animagus ability, not to mention those jolly romps, probably makes him an accessory after the fact to major crimes. And what does he get for it? "Getting" to play Bad Cop again so Dumbledore can get a disgraced Remus with a perfect cover story to start spying on the werewolves without having to take any blame for the situation. Even though Dumbledore is the one who knowingly gave Remus a cursed job and so knew the year had to end with Remus either dead, Kissed, sent to Azkaban, publicly exposed, or something else dreadful.
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