(urth) Silk's origin

[David Stockhoff]

On 10/10/2011 11:20 PM, James Wynn wrote:
> On 10/10/2011 7:55 PM, David Stockhoff wrote:
>> Perhaps it's not so important. An identical genotype may give rise to 
>> disparate phenotypes after all. Things can happen during development 
>> as well as after birth that result in changes in appearance. Are they 
>> not both blonde?
>>
>> (And this would be even more true if we are not talking about cloning 
>> but instead a narrow genotype from intensive enhanced breeding. Would 
>> your riddles work out OK if Silk was Typhon's "brother"?
>
> Well, there are just a lot of references that identify Silk directly 
> with Typhon.
> Tussah might be blonde, but we can't know because he is bald.
> It's not that Silk and Tussah aren't identical twins. Chenille is 
> suggested to look like Tussah in drag with large breasts. But Horn 
> doubts that she and Silk could be siblings because they "really don't 
> look alike".
>
> J.
>
Siblings often don't look alike. However, this must be one of those 
situations where the facts we are told can't matter as much as the 
narrator's motive for telling us. Horn's opinion is subjective.

But going back to my point: are there any existing data on human 
perception of facial similarity between clones born from different 
surrogate mothers, i.e., developing in different wombs? No. Is there any 
reason therefore to stick to the assumption that clones are always 
identical? (The only real evidence we have of cloning on Urth is that 
the uhlans' " faces were more akin than the faces of brothers." We know 
nothing else about how they were "made." Silk-clone-of-Typhon ought to 
follow that rule simply because it has been put forth, but Wolfe can 
break it when he wants.)

Which leads me to another angle. Is there a classic SF model from which 
we could derive rules of cloning "behavior"? For example, Asimov's Mule 
is a genetic mutation giving rise to super-telepathic powers; therefore 
he is a precursor to Typhon that we can "observe" in action. Has some 
author already worked out this cloning business?


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