Here’s a little science on one of my favorite animals – the naked mole rat. And if you are a fan of podcast, you should have heard my theory on the relatedness of the mole rats and the observers. But if not, don’t fret, I shall go through that theory on this blog post.
Two days ago, the genome of naked mole rat made a buzz on the scientific community (and to the general science-interested public). Here is a short blurb on the story: NPR on Naked Mole Rat Genome Sequenced. And for the purist, who wants the first hand paper – Nature Paper.
So what makes naked mole rat special? And also what makes it Fringe-related? If you remember back in Season 2, we saw a mutated boy who lives underground and has the genetic make-up of a scorpion and naked mole rat…. yes, the most hated episode (actually only by Clint and Darrell).
Naked mole rats vs The Observers
1. Naked mole rats are able to survive (up to 30 years) longer than mice and rats. The observers seem to be ageless (or perhaps, age slower than regular humans)
2. Naked mole rats are hairless, pale and live in naturally dark habitat. CBK (Inner Child) was found living underground. He is hairless and pale.
3. Naked mole rats are resistant to cancer. We have not seen any observers died of naturally ailment, particularly cancer.
4. Naked mole rats lack neuropeptide Substance P, which makes them insensitive to pain. The observers appear to be always calm, showing no emotions (debatable), and most importantly, they don’t feel the burning sensation of very spicy food. Naked mole rats were injected with capsaicin and they did not feel a thing.
5. Because naked mole rats live in burrows, they need to adapt to high concentration of CO2; they have reduced metabolic rate and development. CBK need to adapt to sudden change in O2 level. Reduced metabolic rate = calm. Slow development = age slower.
6. Naked mole rats live as a group (although some do not!). There’s more than one observer.
7. Naked mole rats have poor visual functions and showed to have various genes associated with visualisation were inactivated or missing. Not really with the Observers, but technically they do not need their eyesight, because they can see beyond the present.
How I wish Massive Dynamic can sequence the genome of The Observer.
Interesting……hmmmmmmm. I don’t know what to make of the Observers, so this is as good of a theory as any and the similarities are striking.