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?

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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.

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u/KamelYellow 29d ago

These extra limbs can't be completely functional, the chick would've 100% died in the wild. So yes, it is just a defect. I get where you're coming from, but this does nothing positive for the animal except for slowing it down and probably being painful

1

u/gandalfthescienceguy 29d ago

Why couldn’t they be? Wings are architecturally analogous to limbs already so it’s not a big leap (lol) to think these could be functional

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u/KamelYellow 29d ago

Because you can see they aren't in the photo