I was looking over Terra #1, and there at the end of the issue Dr. Mid-Nite says Atlee* (Terra the III) is an exact genetic match for Terra the II, also known as the Terra that got killed by Black Adam.
Given that Terra II was blonde and blue-eyed, and Atlee has black hair and purple eyes, I'm perplexed as to how they can be an exact match. They almost certainly have to have different nucleotides at the genes that determine such things as eye and hair color**, because they're showing different visible characteristics. Granted, both seem to be examples of "Terran" genetics combined with human DNA, or vice versa, so perhaps the underlying Terran genetics codes are the same, and that's what Dr. Mid-Nite picked up on, but what would that mean for them? That they're purely genetically engineered? Would that make Atlee adopted, or did her parents ask her to undergo a process to wind up in her current state?
* The name Atlee brings back bad memories for me of former San Francisco Giants' pitcher Atlee Hammaker, who I remember as dominating the Cardinals pretty much every time he faced them. This recollection was not borne out by the stats, which say he was only 4-4 with a 3.92 ERA in his career against the StL. Although in '87 and '88, he was 3-2 with an ERA under 3.00, so that probably explains the memories.
** One of the things I learned in the class I was teaching assistant for was that eye color, and also hair color I think, are determined by more than one gene. It's a combination of genes on different chromosomes.
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4 comments:
Well, considering Hank Pym managed to clone a friggin' robot from a strand of Thor's hair, DC's grasp on genetics seems positively brilliant.
Could Terra III be using hair dye and contacts or something. Maybe changing physical characteristics is a secondary power (so the characters subconscious desire to have the different color hair and eyes is then carried out by the powers).
Don't think DC has a No-prize equivalent, but that would be my attempt. :)
Oh, Doctor Mid-Nite is just trying to keep things simple for Power Girl.
jason: I bet they just cloned Thor's skin, over a metal endo-skeleton, like a Terminator. Yeah, that's the ticket. . .
seangreyson: She could have shapeshifting abilities, I suppose. Her dad is a big rock person thing, and Mid-Nite mentioned something about a metal in her blood, maybe she can manipulate that like she does the earth, and change her appearance.
But let's stick with contacts and hair dye. That's much simpler.
sallyp: Well I think power Girl could follow what's going on. Wildcat is the one you have to speak slowly and use small words for, what with the punches to the head and all.
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