#mutation march

[rowyngoldeart]

Mutation March Day 26 is Goldfish!

#mutationmarch #mutationmarch2024 #weirdart #horrorart #goldfish #teeth #mutation march #mutation march 2024 #horror art #weird art

[chocolatechipkraken]

Posting intermittently for Mutation March this year, here's some frilled lizard ghosts!

Bonus octopi:

#my art #creature design #monster design #lineless illustration #illustration #spooky #mutation march #frilled lizard #ghost #character design #creepy #creepy cute #lizard #skeleton #octopus #cephalopods

[galusaurus]

✨Mutation March - Day 11: Millipede✨

I had some fun with the names today. First, the millidillo!

Here is a jellipede.

Blink and you’ll miss it—a millispeed!

#galusaurus art #mutation march #mutation march 2023 #millipede #armadillo #art challenge

[opabiniart]

drawing some stuff for a challenge made by @/ galusaurus on insta.

Also, taking this opportunity to make a rottmnt sona, THE BELLEPHALOPOD

#my art #rottmnt #Rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #tmnt #mutationmarch #mutation march #thought my long curly hair would work nicely as tentacles lmfao

[whattraintracks]

1. Watching His Favorite Movie - every iteration I've ever seen

My headcanons based on vibes and thrown together in the middle of the night

1987 Raphael

becomes the most annoying person you’ve ever watched a movie with 

ever 

has seen this movie ten dozen times, can and will quote it by heart 

would rather make fun of everything in said movie, witty one-liners galore 

all the snacks which he chews obnoxiously and loudly 

1990s Raph 

as background noise to literally anything 

once he saw it and decided yep this is my favorite he never sat down to watch it again 

he's got things to do and ain’t nobody got time to sit down and watch a movie they’ve already seen 

just has it playing while he works out or cleans his sai or does chores or whatever 

but if someone tries to turn it off he will get pissed, he was paying attention thank you very much and that was the best part 

TNM Raph 

on his own, he either gets super into it or just passes out halfway through 

with some else, he must make them understand why this is in fact the greatest movie of all time 

the kinda guy that goes wait wait wait here’s the best part and gets mad when you don’t react correctly to his favorite scenes 

the guys hate him for it because they’ve all seen this movie a million times 

but Venus has not! and he takes full advantage of that fact 

2003 Raph 

is pretty thoughtful and quiet about it 

mostly because he likes to pull it out when he’s having a low-energy day or just feeling nostalgic 

must be doing something mindless simultaneously: knitting, eating, I don’t know, laundry?

is also super insightful about it, can and will dissect the plot 

hums the soundtrack to himself for the rest of the day 

2007 Raph 

prefers to watch with at least one other person so he can ✨ discuss ✨

always uses closed captions

loves the IDEA of sneaking into theaters to see it but can’t stand watching it straight through 

frequently pauses and rewinds, especially loves extended cuts and commentaries 

will get sidetracked halfway through by video essays and online debates courtesy of Donnie

2012 Raph 

his level of enjoyment is directly proportional to the amount of scoffing 

even alone actually, it's not just a tough guy act 

it's like when you know something is objectively awful but you unironically love it anyway 

if someone misreads this as dislike or disinterest and suggests turning it off they will be threatened within an inch of their life 

hates interruptions cannot stand people who talk while watching his movie and gets really frustrated when he can’t finish watching it in one sitting 

Rise Raph 

DO NOT GET NEAR HIM 

the closest available object and/or person will become his personal teddy bear for the duration of any scene that makes him emotional 

otherwise he’s reenacting the entire thing, as a one-man show or with his siblings 

definitely knows it by heart and all of the trivia 

particularly all the obscure actors and stunt people 

M&M Raph 

so loud, oh my wow, both him and whatever device he’s watching on 

reacts every time like it’s the first time he’s seen it 

especially loses his mind if he notices something he never has before 

talks about it for hours afterwards 

will subconsciously adopt all the catchphrases and verbal quirks 

#march for raph #zero evidence for any of this just felt right #i had this all ready to go and i was really happy with it when i realised i FORGOT 07 #don't worry i added him once i remembered #it's always 07 raph i'm so sorry you deserve better #raphael hamato #raphael splinterson #tmnt 1987 #tmnt 1990 #the next mutation #tmnt 2003 #tmnt 2007 #tmnt 2012 #rottmnt #mutant mayhem #tmnt #whattrainofthought

[mrmeepmerp]

Trilobite for Mutation March!

#mutation march 2024

[slverblood]

Hmmmmmm . . . I have been explaining Aylin's immortality as having something to do with her being, essentially, the Tears of Selûne born into the body of an aasimar. Well, aasimar shaped anyway. We can now additionally factor in the ever-living flame. I'll decide specifics later, but it's a thought.

This then would factor into Shar's plans for her as the Nightsong. I've been going with the idea that she's essentially the key to an apocalypse. (I need to write up this AU in full.) It releases the shapechanger + his army; it causes Selûne to turn from her followers in grief; and it brings Aylin under Shar's will. If we factor in the ever-living flame as well, then it could be argued dousing the part of it personified / housed within her could be key to dousing it in the moon itself. She was, after all, born of an attempt to destroy the moon. Shar using her to douse the moon's light, bringing the night that much closer to perfect darkness . . . it slots.

#OOC / HOLLY. #I really gotta finalize that AU huh #idk how often I'll use it but it's fun to chew on #the party: surely killing Aylin will have no larger consequences :) #shadow curse: continues mutating and spreading across the land #the shapechanger and his army: released from their prison and marching under Shar's banner #Aylin: now the Nightsong in truth under Shar's yoke #Selûne: turned from her faithful and Toril itself in grief #the moon: extinguished bringing Toril closer to total night #and the power increase the role of Nightsong brings to Shar + Sharrans . . . messyyyyyy

[thedragonagelesbian]

the quiet ‘that’s it’ at the end of wasteland, baby! >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

#anyway. my keeper sent us the playlist for the next motw arc #i have a lot of strong feelings about this song entirely unrelated to motw/adelaide #i listened to it on repeat in early 2020 while working on the first assignment for a really cool class called digital worlding #i made a world in unity that was about swimming thru acid with ur giant mutated dog salamander friend #also im going to die march 17th

[why-animals-do-the-thing]

Do you have a snoot noodle or other variation of sighthound? If yes, there’s new heart health research for the breed happening!

A researcher at Texas A&M whose work I’m familiar with is starting a new study looking at genetic factors contributing to heart disease in Borzoi and related breeds. They just put out a call for dog owners who are willing to submit saliva samples & (noodle) medical records. Studies like this need a big sample size! They’re accepting new sign-ups starting now until March 1, 2025, for dogs both in the US and internationally.

Let’s help make some science!

From the study page:

“Background and purpose

Recent research in Borzoi dogs has revealed that dogs of this breed experience sudden, unexplained death. About 85% of sudden, unexplained deaths in humans are linked to an underlying heart disease. Our existing research in Borzoi dogs has shown that they are predisposed to developing arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythms) and dilated cardiomyopathy (a heart muscle disease causing dilated heart chambers and weak pumping function).

Due to our documentation of the frequency of these conditions in Borzoi dogs, we seek to identify responsible genetic variations similar to what is seen in humans with electrical cardiac diseases that trigger arrhythmias and dilated cardiomyopathy.

The objective of our study is to identify genetic mutations associated with heart disease in Borzoi dogs and document their existence in other sighthound breeds.

What happens in this study

We are collecting saliva samples from both healthy Borzoi and Borzoi dogs affected with arrhythmias and/or dilated cardiomyopathy. We will also collect saliva samples from any other sighthound breeds.

We will extract DNA from these samples and perform genomic sequencing on a select number while retaining the remainder for further screening.By analyzing the sequencing data, we can compare the genes of healthy and affected Borzoi dogs and identify variants linked to their heart conditions. We will also compare the findings in Borzoi dogs to results from other sighthound breeds.

Pet owner responsibilities

A swab kit will be sent to you for at home use along with a link to an instructional video on how to properly obtain a swab of the mouth. The kit will contain equipment to collect the saliva swab, a history form for your pet, a client consent form and a shipping label to return samples to us.

Participation requirements

To participate, you must have a Borzoi dog or a sighthound breed that is either healthy or affected by arrhythmias and/or dilated cardiomyopathy. Pets may be any age or sex. Electronic or paper veterinary medical records will need to be provided.

Benefits and risks of participating

There is little to no risk for taking a brief swab of the mouth for saliva collection if procedures outlined in the video are followed. No individual genetic test results will be provided to study participants.

Compensation

There is no cost to the owner for participating in this study. No compensation will be provided.”

#I know this lab from big cat genetics #but they do good work on lots of things #sighthound #borzoi #silken windhound #greyhound #afghan hound #ongoing research #citizen science contributions #contribute to science

[rowyngoldeart]

Mutation March Day 11 is Turkey!

#mutationmarch #mutationmarch2024 #weirdart #horrorart #turkey #handturkey #mutation march #mutation march 2024 #horror art #weird art #hand turkey #hands

[chocolatechipkraken]

A multi-headed leech that looks like a hand! It mutated from feeding on a vampire's blood, maybe one day it will become a full vampire!

#my art #creature design #monster design #lineless illustration #mutation march #vampire #tw blood #leech #spooky #goth #gothic #hand #illustration #creepy

[galusaurus]

Mutation March 2022 - day 1: Cephalopod

Tiger Nautilus, because why not!

Carrot Squid!!

Not sure what happened here, but it has some cursed carousel potential.

#mutation march #mutation march 2022 #cephalopod #body horror #surreal art #galusaurus art

[opabiniart]

day 2 of the mutation march challenge was “flightless bird,” so I went with the terror bird!

#my art #creature design #Character Design #mutation march #digital art

[whattraintracks]

16. Dance Competition - The Next Mutation

In this essay, I will perform a totally impartial review of select TNM episodes to prove Raph could win a dance competition.

Dancing - "Turtles' Night Out"

Remember when Mikey threw a costume party rave to raise money for endangered animals? No? Probably for the best. All you need to know is that Mikey hosts an all-night rave and makes the other turtles help him with it. They even dance, so let's judge them for it. I mean, on it.

Mikey is a simple but good dancer. Follows the beat well enough and goes with the flow. Mostly simple arm moves, some recognisable stuff, all well executed. I gather he has the most dance experience of the five. And! He does all this while DJing. Could be interesting to watch him show off.

Venus does not dance. Does carry Mace. Good for her.

Leo's moves mostly consist of shadowboxing, kicking, and whatnot. Tries to dance like a normal person and just looks awkward. Bless his heart, he does not know what to do with his limbs. One gal does compliment his moves, though, and they dance together.

Donnie, at first, seems to know what he's doing but also ends up pseudo-fighting or maybe doing aerobics. And he just keeps kicking. There are casualties. Despite this, the ladies are very impressed by him, and he and Leo perform a fun move together, finishing with a classic high foot.

Last but not least, Raph, The Bouncer (his words, he’s so silly I love him). He bops, sways, and hums along to the music, triple threat. Does very little actual dancing, but since this is March for Raph, we should let him win anyway.

Kidding. We obviously don't have enough data to determine he's the winner, so let's score them all out of four here and do the same for their skateboarding and sparring skills.

Scores: Mikey 4/4, Donnie 3/4, Leo 2/4, Raph 1/4, Venus 0/4

Skateboarding - "Unchain My Heart, Part 1"

This is an activity that contains skills related to dancing, right? Yes? Maybe? Alright. Leo and Raph stand out to me as the better skateboarders. Raph trumps Leo because his tricks are cooler, and his lines are funnier. Mikey does well, but not as many tricks as Leo and Raph, who also get more airtime. Venus likely has much less experience than the guys but holds her own. Donnie is dead last since he only stands on his remote-controlled skateboard. Skilled engineer? Yes. Skilled skateboarder? Apparently not.

Scores: Raph 4/4, Leo 3/4, Mikey 2/4, Venus 1/4, Donnie 0/4

Sparring - "Sewer Crash," "Like Brothers," and "Truth or Consequences"

Let's narrow this down to one-on-one spars with Raph, just because.

Raph and Donnie: The particular spar I'm thinking about might be unfair to Donnie, who is being hypnotised at night and not sleeping, but it’s less sparring and more showing off anyway. Raph looks very cool in this scene. Point to Raph.

Raph and Mikey: Raph pretty casually blocks Mikey's attacks and quickly gets him in a hold. Point to Raph.

Raph and Leo: So evenly matched they can fight all day without a definitive winner. Leo is victorious in one episode because he is sufficiently pissed off and spiteful. Raph, in other episodes, overwhelms him with pure strength. Solid tie.

Raph and Venus: She can and does kick his butt, but he's quick to return the favor. He has better technique and more experience that she makes up for with unorthodox methods and magic. Tie.

Scores: Raph 4/4, Leo 4/4, Venus 4/4, Donnie 2/4, Mikey 2/4

Outcomes

After formally and scientifically analysing random scenes with absolutely no bias toward a certain turtle, I've determined the following outcomes for a dance competition. In third place, with 5 points each, we have the ever-lovable Donnie and Venus. Mikey takes second with 8 points, probably lower than he could be because he's too busy daydreaming about what abominations he could be whipping up in the kitchen. And with 9 points, Raph would win . . . and tie with Leo. Tough tortillas, bud. Even in a hypothetical competition rigged in your favor, you're still stuck with him.

--------------------------

Bonus: silly photos of them on a rank podium.

#march for raph #this was really fun to think about #raphael splinterson #donatello splinterson #michelangelo splinterson #leonardo splinterson #venus de milo #the next mutation #tmnt #whattrainofthought

[felinefractious]

[Image Source]

Bengal Cat Coats Are Less Wild Than They Look, Genetic Study Finds [Stanford Medicine]

Bengal cats are prized for their appearance; the exotically marbled and spotted coats of these domestic pets make them look like small, sleek jungle cats. But the origin of those coats — assumed to come from the genes of Asian leopard cats that were bred with house cats — turns out to be less exotic.

Stanford Medicine researchers, in collaboration with Bengal cat breeders, have discovered that the Bengal cats’ iridescent sheen and leopard-like patterns can be traced to domestic cat genes that were aggressively selected for after the cats were bred with wild cats.

“Most of the DNA changes that underlie the unique appearance of the Bengal cat breed have always been present in domestic cats,” said Gregory Barsh, MD, PhD, an emeritus professor of genetics. “It was really the power of breeding that brought them out.”

For a study published online March 25 in Current Biology, Barsh and his colleagues analyzed genes collected from nearly 1,000 Bengal cats over the course of 15 years. Barsh is the senior author of the paper, and senior scientist Christopher Kaelin, PhD, is the lead author.

The results shed light not only on the Bengal cat’s coat but also help answer broader questions about how appearance is encoded in genetics and how different genes work together to yield colors, patterns and physical features.

Wild Origins

Barsh and his colleagues, including Kaelin, use cats and other animals to study the genetics of physical features. In previous studies, they identified genes responsible for the color coat variation in tabby cats and for the unique markings on the Abyssinian cat.

“The big-picture question is how genetic variation leads to variation in appearance,” Barsh said.

“This is a question that has all kinds of implications for different species, but we think that cats offer an especially tractable way to study it.”

From the 1960s through the 1980s, breeders, led by biologist Jean Mills, crossed the wild Asian leopard cat species Prionailurus bengalensis with domestic cats to create a new, visually striking cat breed. Over many generations, the cats with the desired physical characteristics and temperaments were progressively selected and bred. By 1986, the Bengal cat was recognized as its own new breed by the International Cat Association.

Barsh and Kaelin saw Bengals — with their recent genetic origin and unique appearance — as a particularly interesting way to study how genetic variation causes diversity in form, color and pattern. In 2008, they began reaching out to cat breeders, attending cat shows, and collecting cheek swabs and photographs of Bengal cats.

Genetic Surprises

The Stanford Medicine team suspected that Bengal cats might give them an accessible way to probe the genetics of wild cat colors and patterns that had evolved naturally. But after sequencing 947 Bengal cat genomes, they found something surprising: There were no parts of the wild Asian leopard cat genomes that were found in all Bengal cats.

“Nearly every Bengal cat breeder and owner has this idea that the distinctive look of the domestic Bengal cat must have come from leopard cats,” Barsh said. “Our work suggests that’s not the case.”

Instead, the genetic signatures suggested that the unique appearance of Bengals was a result of variations in genes that had already been present in domestic cats.

The team found something similar when they looked specifically at “glitter”: About 60% of all Bengal cats have particularly soft, iridescent fur that glitters like gold in the sunlight. A mutation in the gene Fgfr2, they showed, is responsible for glitter and comes not from leopard cats but from domestic cats. Glitter and the underlying Fgfr2 mutation are nearly specific to Bengal cats. Interestingly, the mutation reduces the activity of the protein encoded by Fgfr2, rather than rendering it inactive as many mutations do. This sheds light on how variations in genes can cause subtle changes in appearance, the researchers said.

Finally, Barsh and Kaelin’s group analyzed the genetics of “charcoal” Bengals, a rare subset of the breed with darker coloring. They uncovered a leopard cat gene linked to the charcoal color, but only when it was combined with domestic cat genome. The leopard cat gene, known as Asip, essentially doesn’t work as well when it’s mixed with the domestic genes — a phenomenon known as genomic incompatibility. So, in leopard cats, Asip doesn’t cause charcoal coloring, but the same gene in domestic cats does.

“Hybridization between different species can happen naturally and is responsible for the small amount of Neandertal DNA found in many human genomes," Barsh explained. “But the wild leopard cat and the domestic cat are more different from each other than humans are from chimpanzees, and it’s remarkable to see how DNA from these distantly related species can exist and work together in a popular companion animal.”

A Boost for Biology and Breeders

A better understanding of the genetic origins of Bengal cat traits is already helping Bengal breeders fine-tune the way they breed animals to create new colors and patterns. Over the past 15 years, Barsh and Kaelin have worked closely with Bengal cat organizations and given talks at cat shows. They often return ancestry and genetic data to owners to help guide their breeding.

“Breeders are extremely interested in our data,” Kaelin said. “They not only want to contribute their cats’ DNA but they also want to be involved and help analyze data and hear about our results. It’s been a great collaboration and a true example of citizen science.”

The researchers say there are lessons to be learned in just how powerful artificial selection can be, as the Bengal cat coats could probably have been selected for without the help of the Asian leopard cat.

“People have this idea that we have to get access to these distantly related animals to breed beautiful individuals and designer animals,” Barsh said. “But it turns out all the diversity was already there waiting in the domestic cat genome.”

[Read Article @ Source]

#cat breeds #cat genetics #genetics news #bengal #so can we stop breeding F1/2G/3G cats now? #proof that the wild blood you’re adding doesn’t improve or maintain the pattern

[chelshiart]

shout out to my siblings for being tolkien-nerds because they make it possible for me, a dwj-nerd, to photobomb their lego rivendell set <3

context of dwj's history with tolkien:

"Tolkien was a different matter. He was just a kind of eminence grise and a legend. You couldn’t hear him lecture. He worked at not letting you hear, because he wanted to go away and finish writing The Lord of the Rings. So he had the very smallest lecture room. First of all it was packed out, so he spoke with his back to the audience and mumbling. Unfortunately he was talking about - meditating on, really - what a plot is like and how it mutates into other plots, and this I found so fascinating that I went back the next week as did one other person. And this meant that he couldn’t stop lecturing and still get the money, which apparently in those days you could if no one turned up - it was a dreadful racket, really. He could have given just the one lecture and then been paid for a term if we’d all stayed away."

 (Quoted from “Interview with Diana Wynne Jones, 22 March 2001, conducted by Charles Butler.” Page 170 in Diana Wynne Jones: An Exciting and Exacting Wisdom, by Teya Rosenberg et al. Peter Lang Publishing, 2002.)

(source)

#diana wynne jones #jrr tolkien #lord of the rings #howl's moving castle #lotr #studio ghibli #howl jenkins pendragon #sophie hatter #frodo baggins #aragorn son of arathorn #legolas greenleaf #gimli son of gloin #calcifer #also I got to participate in this build! the first time i actually played with lego!! #i did bilbo's tower to the side - those statues were tons of fun