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

/r/all Chick with genetic defect

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u/Dramatic-Avocado4687 Mar 06 '25

Why does this look functionally better than a normal chick?

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u/Away-Wave-2044 Mar 06 '25

This one has….evolved

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u/_who-the-fuck-knows_ 29d ago

This is kinda how evolution works. Random mutations in genes. The good mutations carry on through breeding.

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u/cipheron 29d ago

Not just that, it shows how other genes can get repurposed in the process. It didn't have to re-evolve front legs: they're clearly reusing the genetic code for the back legs to create front legs.

So, often it'll be one small mutation that has an outsized effect because it repurposes other genetic machinery to do something complex.

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u/henkheijmen 29d ago

Yeah or in this case more likely an anomaly where some cells were displaced at a very early part of development. This is more likely a form of conjoined twinning than it is a genetic change.