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The great thing about snow is that it can be reshaped over and over in its' short lifespan. When we compare this to geological change, snow reshapes in a whirl...
Change of any kind may occur with great speed or incredibly slow. A basic rule of thumb is that change requires both energy and time: The more energy, the less time needed for a specific change; and vise-versa. Even the smallest amount of energy - the coldest things - may result in change over a longer time. When feeling rather opposed to change, we say "I don't have the time or energy..." But as more time goes by, more forces may have their go at changing the course of events. When one is frozen in a state of suspended animation, for example, they should be protected from the onslaught of radiation, lest they be revived heavily mutated. A mutation, then, occurs when a normal sequence of energetic events have been sidetracked - or even derailed - by another energetic transaction, whether it adds energy to the system or subtracts from it. We knew this all along, though. "As long as nobody gets in my way...", "As long as the wind doesn't pick up...", or "Never interrupt me when I'm working!!" are all phrases indicating a decided path can be mutated by even a relatively tiny interference. This is why we have "genetic editors" that check our DNA for mutations - to repair the damage done by mutagens (relatively disruptive waves, particles, atoms or molecules that damage the DNA). I used an editor when I wrote the last sentence, correcting a spelling mistake, to ensure that my message was exacly as intended (...see what would happen if I didn't use it!!). A system of any kind can be measured in its' survivability by a simple measure of its' succeptibility to mutation. A "stable", "reliable" or "secure" system, we may say of a bank, bus lines or internet provider. But in nature, where the environment is constantly changing (!), a survivor must have the ability to mutate in step. Viruses, whether as natural as a cold, or as contrived as a computer virus, change the program of the system they attack. Both the living system and computer have antivirus protection of some kind. Once either have learned to recognise a given virus, it will no longer represent a threat. In turn, the virus will mutate - a biological "keeping up with the Jones' " scenario or "arms race", if you will... It appears that a fetus can "learn" from the mother about existing viruses - like sharing virus protection files - in order to prepare itself for life outside the womb. Perhaps this is also why the male only determines the sex of the fetus: If the sperm were carrying viral-like code - a mutagen - that became a part of the childs' genetic code without screening, the fetus may literally become a construct of the whims of a virus rather than the fancies of the parents. The mother doesn't determine the genetics of the fetus, really, the egg does. Since this egg will sort through the long sequence of genetic code, seeking an apparent optimum among its' choices of either parental code, the adult that the egg will one day become really will have been the master of their own destiny all along!! What they look like, how tall they are or even what their natural aptitudes are, were decided long before their first cell split. Unfortunately, two of my brothers and I decided to keep the premature baldness gene. What were we thinking ?! Both the egg and the virus have taken advantage of their succeptibility to change... ICE TOUR LAST 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 NEXT
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