Spectacular Genetic Mutations.
When you think of the two words “genetic abnormality” there aren’t many positive things that come to peoples minds. Maybe The X-Men, vitiligo, or bring born with an extra finger or something is the stereotype… but while these things may happen, there are some quite eye catching, scene stealing, jaw dropping, and attention grabbing rarities that make you wish you were a little less than normal. Check out the top bunch below… also we threw in folks with 6 fingers, and vitiligo as bonuses for good measure. (That’d be cool to be able to count to twelve on two hands). This post might inspire you to pursue a career in genetics or to become a scientist. The world of genetics is fascinating, to say the least. It can make you feel like you’re living in a sci-fi book, instead of on Planet Earth, and there are plenty of examples that make us go, “Wow, I can’t believe this is real.”
In 2002, after applying for government assistance in the state of Washington, Lydia Fairchild was told that her two children were not a genetic match with her and that therefore, biologically, she could not be their mother. Researchers later determined that the genetic mismatch was due to chimerism, a condition in which two genetically distinct cell lines are present in one body. The state accused Fairchild of fraud and filed a lawsuit against her. Following evidence from another case of chimerism documented in The New England Journal of Medicine in a woman named Karen Keegan, Fairchild was able to secure legal counsel and establish evidence of her biological maternity. A cervical swab eventually revealed Fairchild’s second distinct cell line, showing that she had not genetically matched her children because she was a chimera. Fairchild’s case was one of the first public accounts of chimerism and has been used as an example in subsequent discussions about the validity and reliability of DNA evidence in legal proceedings within the United States. Chimeras are organisms that have two different sets of DNA, or the genetic material that contains instructions for the development and functioning of an organism, present in their bodies. Most organisms only have one set of DNA, which is present and identical in every cell throughout that organism’s body.
An organism gets approximately half of its DNA from each of its parents’ gametes, or their sperm and egg cells, which carry DNA from parent to offspring. In human reproduction, one sperm typically fuses with one egg to create a fertilized egg that can develop into a fetus. However, sometimes the ovaries, which are organs in the female body that produce and store eggs, release more than one egg at a time, a phenomenon known as hyperovulation. In such cases, two different sperm can fertilize two separate eggs released during hyperovulation, creating two genetically distinct fertilized eggs that can develop into non-identical twins. However, in some cases, those two fertilized eggs may fuse together during an early stage of development, resulting in a chimera made of two genetically distinct cell lines. As a consequence, instead of having cells with identical DNA throughout their body, a chimera has different DNA present in different parts of their body so that the DNA in their blood, for example, may not be the same as the DNA in their saliva. “I have two sets of DNA, two sets of blood and immune cells. The two colors of skin pigmentation on my torso is from my and my twin’s two different genetic makeups. My particular case of Chimerism is linked to autoimmune disease. I went undiagnosed for more than half my life due to the rarity of my condition. I’m now an advocate for Chimerism, it’s link to autoimmune disease and body positivity. My hope is to prevent others from going undiagnosed how I did.”
DJ Storm's Blog 