r/interestingasfuck • u/Significant_Snow_718 • Mar 06 '25

/r/all Chick with genetic defect

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u/Ill-Agent7195 Mar 06 '25

Defect? You mean 4x4 upgrade?

345

u/Grueaux Mar 06 '25 edited 29d ago

Honestly I use the word "defect" less and less these days because I think it's more accurate to refer to these as natural variations. "Defect" assumes things are supposed to be a certain way, but biology doesn't have any direction, it just keeps exploring what is possible in every which way it can, and natural selection filters out some variations. Some variations really are upgrades.

Edit: I'm not saying all variations are helpful! Most aren't.

41

u/Will_Come_For_Food Mar 06 '25

Yeah if they’re defects technically humans are just defected jelly fish.

21

u/8----B Mar 06 '25

Defect is the term because evolution is quite literally genetic defects that just work out. Most don’t. Mutation would be a proper term as well. There’s no emotion or insult attached to it as there would be when using the word colloquially. We shouldn’t change scientific terminology due to fear of insulting some hypothetical person when the word has been around for the entirety of its history

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u/InfinitiveIdeals 29d ago

“ difference “ or “ variation “ would be the scientific terms.

Saying that you have no emotions attached to calling something defective because it is outside of the norm does not make it scientific.

Defective is a term that is subjective to a goal, and not in any way, a scientific classification of genetic variety or the forms they produce.

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u/8----B 29d ago

Wrong. Defect is not subjective in this context and does imply any goal. It is objectively meaning a defection from the previous generation’s genetic traits.