Earths Hidden history

or How to change the human genome unnoticed

Humanities history has always been hidden in shrouds and darkness. As time trailed on the past got forgotten or was mystified. With the arrival of the age of Enlightenment en the development of new scientific methods and equipment humanity learned about the tools that formed and shaped human society. Certainly Charles Darwin and Alfred Wallace didn’t envision the impact of their theories on the long run as we have seen developed in our timeline. Yet as mankind’s past start to be demystified there is more to be discovered then is as of yet to know.

Since many at ATS wonder about how humanity could have been altered in the distant past I serch to shed some light into the darkness

As time progressed the existence of Deoxyribonucleic acid or simpler put, DNA was hinted as from as early as 1869 by findings of the Swiss physician Friedrich Miescher. DNA is one of the most important genetic structures that makes up life on earth and the human body is made up mostly out of this material. Next to DNA there is another building block that makes life called Ribonucleic acid otherwise known as RNA.

As we look at the DNA code of the human species it is a complex blue-print of how a human should be build. Each human has its own blue-print with its own set of properties. What is the color of our eyes? What is the color of your hair and skin? Build also how many arms you have and what the general blueprint of your brain should be. As evolution set forth we inherited the trades and flaws of our common ancestors. However, we are here at ATS so I do eventually have point that I wish to address. I have already stated it before yet I didn’t went into the subject in dept, for this I apologize.

There is an interesting fact noticeable in the genetic DNA of our ancestors and the current human genetics. It is both a marker that indicates the correctness of the evolution theory as well as the hinting of genetic manipulation; genetic tracing.
Generally speaking one can trace the origin of a particular genetic sequence simply by following the sequence back through the DNA of our ancestors. So if a sequence say ‘ABCA’ at a specific spot then we can find that sequence back in all ancestors that were past the event that introduced it. E.g;

Ancestor 1 – SEQUENCE ABBDDADGEE
Ancestor 2 – SEQUENCE ABBDDADGED
Ancestor 3 – SEQUENCE ABBDDABGED
<- Event 1 ->
Ancestor 4 – SEQUENCE ABCADABGED
Ancestor 5 – SEQUENCE ABCAEABGED

In the above example ‘Event 1’ inserts a genetic code sequence caused by a change (e.g; the result of expositor to radiation, mutation or slow adaptation)
The very second the genetic chance is generated by an event all subsequent offspring take the change with them in their genetics until something changes them again. E.g; if a genetic change occurred in the common ancestor of horses and donkeys then both horse and donkey have that genetic change in the DNA unless a later event altered that change again in one of the two species.
Generally speaking if you trace the genetic code from various ancestors of the Homo Sapiens say, the Homo Erectus or even the side species of the Neantherthal then their code looks strikingly similar towards ours at various locations of the genetic sequence, including many errors that were taken along the way of evolution.

Now that we understand a little about the actual functioning of genetic inheritance among related races we can take a little look at how RNA functions.
RNA is a form of genetic building blocks used a lot by viruses. A characteristic of RNA is that it makes a lot of mistakes on purpose. Simply put a virus uses a shotgun method to overcome obstacles. If we want a good example we can just look at the flu. The Flu virus changes at such a high rate that every year it is different making it almost impossible to do anything against it.

A virus replicates by invading a living cell and transforming it into a virus factory. So a virus invades a cell, forces the cell to create more copies of the virus that then spread throughout the body infecting more cells. At the moment a virus infects a cell, that cell loses its original function. A good example of this is the Spanish flu virus that erupted during World War I. The Spanish flu virus was typical because it mostly killed health young people rather then costing the life of the weak and elderly. The Spanish flu had this atypical result because it specifically targeted the lymphocyte cells that create the immune system, health people have good lymphocyte cells so they get larger quantities of the Spanish Flu variation.

Now, I want to direct your interest into a very specific type of virus, the so called Retro-virus. The Retro-virus isn't a virus that still lives in the seventies, it is a special strain of viruses with a very malicious trademark, it alters DNA. A good example is the HIV virus, but there are many others. What a retro-virus does, is reverse transcription. The virus enters a cell, spits out a piece of its own RNA material and then changes that code into DNA by the use of reverse transcription into DNA and glues it into the existing DNA of the host cell. The reason why this differs from regular viruses is that the genetic marker of a retro-virus altered cell can actually be seen in a DNA test. In fact, the human genome is filled with traces of retro-viruses, and I'm talking thousands of retrovirus altered cells caused by retro-viruses leaving their mark upon the reproductive capabilities of our species as well s our ancestors.

<--End of theoretical reading-->

[edit on 31-7-2010 by AncientShade]

[edit on 31-7-2010 by AncientShade]

[edit on 31-7-2010 by AncientShade]

Good, having explained those basic principle of the human body, viruses and stuff we can now come to the good stuff.
Retro-viruses are a huge break in science, they actually allow a person to change existing DNA and scientis are only now starting to learn the massive possibilities of it.

If we take a look at our DNA for instance, it contains a piece called Telomeres. Telomeres cause cell mitosis, or the dividing of cells needed for existing cells to create replacements for died cells. In the human DNA, the telomeres can be seen as stringed and entangled bits of 'rope' at the end of the DNA sequence and eac h time a cell does mitosis it snaps a bit of it to start the proces.

In practical theory a cell gets a signal to create a copy, snaps a bit of its telomeres off and uses that to start the process of mitosis in which it creates an exact copy of itself that is the same and with the same length of telomeres or if I put this mathematically;

New cell = Cellmitosis existing cell – 1 telomere)

Resulting in two simular cells that both have a little piece of telomere less then the original cell before the cell mitosis. Naturally, when telomeres are no longer present the cell can no longer perform mitosis and when no more cells in a living creature has telomeres then it dies. E.g. if all cells forming the human hart running out of telomers then the hart dies and so does the human. Even more interesting is the fact that the quality of telomeres gets worse as the strains of telomeres get's shorter. Telomeres of poor quality create poor quality cell mitosis and thus worse cells, this process can be seen in aging as our body becomes of poorer quality because cell mitosis is less good as it was due to worse telomeres.
Interestingly enough one can lengthen life by re-transcripting RNA of a retro-virus in such a way that the virus will actually add transcripted RNA as piece of telomeres into DNA stains. This can lengthen natural life for extreme lengths. (unfortunately I am breaking some of my own rules by exposing this knowledge since it can be found nowhere in the entire world except here)

Good, I just wanted to give an example of how telomeres can effect the human genome. Since this is ATS, I wanted to expose possible human alteration in the distant past by external artificial methods in order to change the direction of human evolution.
If one were to take genetic evidence of a Homo Erectus and compare it to that of a Homo Sapiens one can directly find out where retro-virus action happened that are present in the Homo Sapiens and not in Homo Erectus, thus proving a happening either by natural or by artificial means that happened somewhere between the Homo Erectus and the Homo Sapiens. If one were to look closer at the genetic impact such a retro-virus infection had on the human evolution one might discover vital changes in the genome caused by retro-viruses that might be of suspicious origin. Such indication could point out to artificial alteration of the human genome and only require very slight alterations as small as 1% of the total human genome or less. This makes then hard to spot but deducing existing once by comparing strains of DNA from various ancestors of Homo Sapiens should make the process easier.

On a personal note, I mean to imply nothing with this piece but information. It is not as if I know something humanity does not yet know..

Nice read, and the info about the telomeres is something i didnt know yet

Makes you wonder, with lifespans of the first "characters" in the bible going as high as 600 years, you think they might have known about this back then?

Might fit to add that I'm a firm believer of genetic manipulation in our distant past.

Humanities secret is in its genetics, not all the marks left by retrovirusses are by nature. You are all usefull because your pupils can dilate, while ours can not. Prepare to meet your makers, for we will arrive this year.

Actually your sig kinda wraps it all up, we're put here as slaves with only the people way at the top knowing this. Did our creators come from a planet with permanent sunlight (the Sirius system?) Since they needed a race that has diluting pupils?

[edit on 31/7/10 by Romekje]

Seems to me that the only thing a virus does is bring harm to a person. At least that's what happened to me. Three years ago I got sick for the first time in what seemed like years. This virus laid me up to point where I had to go get a couple of IV's to rehydrate. Anyway, a couple of months after that I started drinking copious amounts of water I was diagnosed with diabetes. Not type II normally associated with inactivity and poor diet. I'm talking full blown Type I give me insulin now diabetes. LADA (latent autoimmune diabetes of adulthood.) As a result of a VIRUS. Adding insult to injury, the person that got me sick had just flown and was here for a visit spreading who knows what kind of airborne virus around.

This virus actually turned my own body against me and told it to attack the pancreatic cells. Yee haw go virus

Originally posted by The Undertaker
Seems to me that the only thing a virus does is bring harm to a person. At least that's what happened to me. Three years ago I got sick for the first time in what seemed like years. This virus laid me up to point where I had to go get a couple of IV's to rehydrate. Anyway, a couple of months after that I started drinking copious amounts of water I was diagnosed with diabetes. Not type II normally associated with inactivity and poor diet. I'm talking full blown Type I give me insulin now diabetes. LADA (latent autoimmune diabetes of adulthood.) As a result of a VIRUS. Adding insult to injury, the person that got me sick had just flown and was here for a visit spreading who knows what kind of airborne virus around.

This virus actually turned my own body against me and told it to attack the pancreatic cells. Yee haw go virus

Well, you got good and bad viruses. Most known once are indeed bad. However, you also got good and bad people. A virus simply does what it is programmed to do, completely oblivious of right or wrong. A human on the other hand deceides consciencely what it does.

You have my sympathy in your virus case and we've all had nasty viruses at least once in our lifetime; but just because you come in contact with it in a bad way doesn't mean you must turn away from the possible usefull sides it has.

Originally posted by Romekje
Nice read, and the info about the telomeres is something i didnt know yet

Makes you wonder, with lifespans of the first "characters" in the bible going as high as 600 years, you think they might have known about this back then?

And what makes you think they didn't?

So how do we get rid of the nasty retro rna, and replace it with good long lived DNA?

You do realize that cells have telomerase reverse transcriptase that maintain the telomere structure right?

Also, even if you in theory could maintain telomere integrity for all eternity, you'd still end up with accumulating mutations in the genomes of your cells, resulting in cancers or cell death. So no, you won't live forever with your new recipe for eternal life.

[edit on 20/8/10 by Thain Esh Kelch]

Originally posted by Thain Esh Kelch
You do realize that cells have telomerase reverse transcriptase that maintain the telomere structure right?

Also, even if you in theory could maintain telomere integrity for all eternity, you'd still end up with accumulating mutations in the genomes of your cells, resulting in cancers or cell death. So no, you won't live forever with your new recipe for eternal life.

[edit on 20/8/10 by Thain Esh Kelch]

I am well aware about reverse transcription and mutations. My example is merely an example. Also it would be proposturous to try and manipulate every single cell in an existing human body. To much work. (Can I hear a big shout; ANCIENTSHADE YOU ARE THE MOST LAZY HUMAN! WOOT! WOOT!)
However, if you manipulate the telomeres of the first cell existing after conception or the genome material of the sperm and eggcell you could succesfully alter the telomere structure of all future cells and thus enlenghten the lifespan of an individual and his offspring a lot. I should however point out that bullets, car accidents and genetic mutations and still screw you even before your one year old.

Ofcourse its a pointless task trying to manipulate the telomeres in an existing life form, but that seems like general logic reasoning and not something that actually needed to be told. Much like I do not need to tell that it is day when the sun is shining.

[edit on 25-8-2010 by AncientShade]

Originally posted by Romekje
Nice read, and the info about the telomeres is something i didnt know yet

Makes you wonder, with lifespans of the first "characters" in the bible going as high as 600 years, you think they might have known about this back then?

Might fit to add that I'm a firm believer of genetic manipulation in our distant past.

Humanities secret is in its genetics, not all the marks left by retrovirusses are by nature. You are all usefull because your pupils can dilate, while ours can not. Prepare to meet your makers, for we will arrive this year.

Actually your sig kinda wraps it all up, we're put here as slaves with only the people way at the top knowing this. Did our creators come from a planet with permanent sunlight (the Sirius system?) Since they needed a race that has diluting pupils?

[edit on 31/7/10 by Romekje]

I somehow missed you reply. But to awnser your question. The top most likely doesn't know since it was done as expiriment way before humanity gained anything such as culture.

About your claim, it is the exact opposite. The race taht put us here came from a planet that has days that seem like nightfall for us. Their sun is hot but has hardly any light in the normal visual spectrum. To compensate thay have more then one pupil in each eyebut they can't dialate like ours. The problem is that their eyes and their way of comminicating are interwoven (several human trades are genetically interwoven and all creature have such interwoven connections in their genetics).

The race could choose between giving away an advantegous way of communication or finding a way around their main problem. The species I am telling of was actually a soldier like species but since there are many planets who's habitat is like ours they had mayor problems to fight during brought sunlight. Helmets and sunglasses are tools that can break and sqeeuzing your eyes till you see almost nothing hardly is advisable when guns are blazing.

While humans are not particallarly strong, we aren't the weakest either. On top of that our race is (like theirs) easy to cultivate and thus pratical as soldier.