People Who Do Wow Battlegrounds Should Be Studied

“Chironomid larvae are opportunistic omnivores (they can eat pretty much anything that can be eaten) but they are also classified by their main feeding modes; collector-gatherers, collector-filterers, scrapers, shredders, engulfers and piercers. Of course, one species can fit in multiple feeding strategies!

These larvae play an important role in aquatic ecosystems since they're a major food source for fish, frogs, birds and semi-aquatic mammals. They also are litter decomposers, rock cleaners and are important for nutrient recycling. Chironomid larvae are also very sensitive to polluants such as pesticides and are thus used as bio indicators of freshwater quality!”

Craterium leucocephalum by Eric Cho

Super tiny Mycena Roseoflava.

Photographed by cyanesense

Lacking chlorophyll Dodder (genus Cuscuta) has evolved a parasitic relationship with it’s host plants for water and nutrients. It invades its hosts using specialized structures called haustoria, which penetrate the host plant's vascular system to extract resources - sounds like a 1950s horror thriller. Not welcome on farms as it reduces crop yields.

i regret nothing

I am obsessed with this whole aesthetic thing people have going with college studying, most especially with STEM. It's so foreign to me because I don't know about anyone else but when I studied for exams my work space looked like someone had ripped apart a book and thrown pages in all directions.

Questioner: My question is about biology and genetics. We've seen that magical systems rely on *inaudible* genetics, like allomancy, or spiritual DNA. Can we use *inaudible* CRISPR to either weaponize or take someone's magical ability or give them a magical ability?

Brandon Sanderson: Kind of. The in-world version of this is Hemalurgy, as you already know. There are methods that would do this, but straight genetics alone with CRISPR wouldn't do it.

You need the spiritual component for these to work, almost assuredly. You might be able to use CRISPR... no, I don't think there are any of them it would work on. Is it possible you could make someone into a kandra?

That may be possible, right? But I'm not 100% sure on that.

Questioner: Can you use CRISPR with Ashyn viruses or bacteria?

Brandon Sanderson: Probably not, but that's more likely. I'd have to think on that. I'm gonna say "probably not" for now, but we'll minorly RAFO that. Good questions.