Revised Genetics Theory
Author: Arythan Nieninqe
Also see Genetics Theory
Youngling project, december 2004
This work is a review from Eilidh Arimath's Channeling Genetics Theory. It's clear that channeling is a inheritable trait, being the main reason of the decreased number of channelers in Randland the high ratio of non-reproductive male-channelers. So, by one of the principles underlying Genetics, a trait whose expression is not statistically independent from the parental lineage, it is an inheritable trait. This way, we've got the words of RJ that channeling is a recessive trait locus which would explain that three-type model reported by Eilidh. Eilidh reported the existence of mainly three types of people: the wild-type(WT), who has the two dominant non-channeling alleles, without the ability of channel, the heterozygous type (HT), who has one channeling allele, and one non-channeling allele, who would be able to learn to channel, the homozygous type (hT), who has the two recessive alleles, who will channel whatever he/she wants or not.
This model is a case of Advanced Mendelian Inheritance, because instead of three genotypes for two phenotypes, we have got three genotypes for three genotypes, being capable to determine the genotype with the phenotype. Being more accurate, we could point to the possibility Eilidh reported, that the locus is placed in the X-chromosome, what we call a sex-linked trait. This would explain the no existence of the second class male channelers at the moment. In the same way as diseases as hemophilia, the woman, as she has two X chromosomes, can have one channeling allele, being carrier, and two recessives, being channeler. The man, as he has only one X-chromosome, only can be channeler or non-channeler.
But this two models have got several problems;
First of all, in the X-linked hypothesis, the fact that there is nearly no one male channeler in the Randland is followed by the need of that the man give a channeling allele so as to his daughter was channeler. If the channeling ability is sex-linked, there would be no one channeling at this time.
Maybe the three-model can adjust the qualitative features of channelers, but through the books we have discovered the channeling ability more than a trait who is or not is, as a long scale of values in which are so much difference between one another (at least, once you can channel). The One Power is, like the height, the hairiness and a lot of othe traits, a trait that is, instead of qualitative, quantitative; we don't have a gene for "tall", and another for "small", there is not a clear division among them, but although this, the height is an inheritable trait.
In order to manage this kind of inheritance, it was developed the Quantitative Genetics; in a few words, these traits are directed by multiple genes, that follow the Mendelian Laws (dominant and recessive), but each gene has got a very little effect in the final phenotype; it means, if an allele A gives 4 cm of height, and B only 1 cm, it depends on the ratio A/B in the genome to determine the height of the individual. This provides us of a wide range of phenotypes, and this model fits better into the wide range of channelers we have.
The theory I propose, maybe there is a biological switch of the channeling, of the ability to channel or not, ruled by an autosomal recessive locus, and once you've got this ability, the strength of this trait is ruled by quantitative loci, showing the wide range of phenotypes that appear.
A last thought; why didn't Aginor manipulate or create a line of uber-channelers to work for the Dark One? Maybe his research gives us the gholam...