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What is a genetic modification that would cause a massive chain reaction to possibly horrific effects? (lemmy.ml)

submitted 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) by doomsdayrs@lemmy.ml to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

54 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Let's keep things simple two rules.

No giving sentience, This is a no brainer issue.
Let's keep it to beings under the Animilia kingdom. "mutated virus/bacteria" is a common trope.

To start:

Let's modify ants to have lungs.

Most insects are constrained by the amount of oxygen they can acquire through their exoskeleton.

Imagine how big they can get if they didn't have that constraint?

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[–] Im_old@lemmy.world 15 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Mhh, insects in general IIRC are also constrained by the fact they have exoskeletons: i.e. their internal organs are just in a bag. So they can't grow too much or they just squish I think.

Imagine them being able to become vertebrates. You can have insects the size of cats I think before the osmosis breathing tubes they currently have are not a thing. Lungs would be the next thing I guess.

Disclaimer: I'm not a biologist and just make stuff up from what I remember from high school biology, and it was last millennium!

[–] sbv@sh.itjust.works 10 points 1 month ago (1 children)

According to my sister-in-law's then boyfriend (who was a biologist or an insect guy or something), spiders and insects can have lung-line organs called book lungs. So they have options. Creepy buggy insecty options.

[–] Im_old@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago

Oh right, I've read about that on coconut crabs I think. There you go, they are already half there.

[–] FrostyTrichs@walledgarden.xyz 10 points 1 month ago

Disclaimer: I'm not a biologist and just make stuff up from what I remember from high school biology, and it was last millennium!

If only the rest of the world was so honest!