Thread by @weird_sci

Human DNA contains all the necessary genes to produce feathers - it's merely a matter of selective activation.

DNA is a molecule that is inside nearly every cell of every known living organisms and some viruses. It contains the genetic information necessary for the development, functioning, growth and reproduction of every living thing. It connects all life - past, present and future.

On a side note - the DNA spread across all the cells in a human body is *really* long.

https://twitter.com/weird_sci/status/1408476241426935815

Genes are sequences of DNA that determine the particular characteristics in an organism. They’re passed from parents to children, and contain the instructions for building proteins. DNA holds the potential, its everything necessary to create life. Genes are codes written with it.

DNA also contains switches to turn genes on and off. Parents pass these switches on along with their genes. So, genes containing instructions to make something can be passed on indefinitely. If the "off switch" is also passed on, the code will be there but will never run.

This is the case with feather genes. About half a billion years ago, the basic code to create feathers was established in a common ancestor to fish, birds, reptiles, and also humans.

Although our evolutionary tracks went in different directions, that particular bit of genetic code has continued to be present in our DNA for all that time. It's just that the "feather off switch" in humans never got flipped over to "on" like it did for dinosaurs and then birds.

What is amazing to me about this tweet is how it has captured the imaginations of so many of you. We might not have feathers, but the desire to spread wings and fly is one of the foundational pieces of human ingenuity and has been a driving force behind scientific investigation.

It's inspired so many of you to ask "Why?" and "Is this true?," "Is this possible?" You've done your own research and shared what you learned. You're seeing connections between other fields and making jokes tying together science and philosophy.

Your ancestors did not pass on the genetic switch to give you feathers. They did pass on the code to make big, curious brains that want to understand the world around them. We might not be able to fly on our own wings, but curiosity and the drive to understand lets you soar.