DNA

On the contrary it is the environment that brings about these changes. Adaptation works by pre-existing polymorphisms. Characteristics that are present in the population before the environment changes caused by.random mutation that present neither an advantage or disadvantage to the individual. After a disturbance though one of these morphs is favoured by the new environment and thus go on to reproduce and produce more offspring than its counterparts.

I'm afraid I don't have a source for this and I'm quoting from memory so it may be incorrect but I believe it takes about three generations for a characteristic to become fixed in the population. So in humans about 100 years, although its likely to be non existent now due to medical intervention and social structure but that's another story. The reason why the process occurs so rapidly in insects is that their generation time is much shorter than our own. What is 100 years in humans is only 2 to the moth.

I missed this post:-

"You cant alter your DNA thorough magic"

There are probably more scientists who believe that nothing can be changed by magic than there are who believe you can't change your DNA. There are also scientists who disagree that we're responsible for global warming.

Someone at some time said you can't change your DNA. Things have moved on. Why should we, as folk who push the boundaries, calmly accept it as fact?

I can talk about how magic works better than I can about science.

Lindacash420, so far as the debate goes it has been mostly harmonious, with a lot of intelligent responses.

I hate to debate without having my source, but from what I had read previously it was my understanding that the genetic alterations might occur within a single individual based on these outside influences.

These are not "hard coded" genes like eye color, height, and so forth. These are genes that define social interaction, allergies, etc. that inarguable can be changed and influenced depending on what an individual is exposed to - nothing that is "fixed" in a population, necessarily. Although it is certainly alarming to consider what the longterm impact of individuals suffering traumatic alterations to brain chemistry has on society through hereditary "gifts" to their children.

As this is the case, it is possible to trigger such environmental influences to intentionally seek such an alteration.

This is frustrating. I wish I could find the article but it was a month or two ago and is lost forever in the interwebs, heh.

Awake

This was one of my problems when asked to produce evidence. Over the years we hear and read about these things and see them on TV, but try to find them - impossible.

One thing that is easy enough to find is the relatively short period of geological time it takes for changes to take place, for example, flight.

I've long held an idea there is more to genetic change than just the accepted Darwinian mutation. There had to be something with it to trigger such changes.

Well it's my understanding (unfortunately I can't quote anything on it either though). That most allergies are caused by a lack of exposure to certain stimuli in utero that cause leukocytes to recognize harmless protein complexes as foreign bodies and trigger the immune system to react in such a way. Meaning that most (although not all) are not technically programmed by the child's genetics. Social interactions are also notoriously hard to define and scientists continually struggle to determine what behaviors are genetic and what are learnt (although it's worth noting that adaptation can be behavioral as well as genetic).

Although I would add the flight took many thousands of years to evolve in both birds and bats. Firstly the need for wings persists which in itself is a large morphological change requiring functionality to remain and secondly a reduction in bone mass was necessary as well as the restructure of many muscle groups. Gliding can occur on a relatively shorter time scale but flight took quite a long time.

Perhaps flight wasn't the best example, although many thousands of years is still relatively short.

I will go a stage further in reiterating a point I made earlier and that is about the time it takes for the mutations to take over.

I contend there is something else, something more and we limit ourselves by by our denials.

Science seems to consider it is possible to change our DNA. I am not a scientist. I deal with magic. As such, everything within reason is possible.

But of course, it depends what is within reason

Oldeneworld. Plane trees have always shed their bark. That's why they were plated in the streets of London.

Yes Brysing, but they took on a different texture and colour to cope with it and a different shedding pattern, (as I understand it) albeit chosen for the purpose of being able to absorb the London air.

I forgot to add this is the same moth that you'll find on the planes in the countryside, except it has adapted its colour to the London plane.

http://www.energeticforum.com/psychic-paranormal/524-indigo-children.

Thus link explains about children being born with aids and then overcoming all disease because they have an additional for codons turned on. Giving them 24 in place of 20.