Could the Bunker Dwellers become noticeably different from Wastelanders?
$begingroup$
So, in my world, there are a group of people, mostly unknown to the rest of the world, who took shelter from the apocalypse 90 years ago in great underground bunkers.
Compared to the rest of the Wasteland, they live in a utopia (except for all the xenophobia, fascism, and euthanasia). They have access to clean water, plentiful food, and so on. Basically, they live a modern style of life, while the rest of the world has returned to early 19th century.
So, my question is, considering their lifestyle, would the Bunker Dwellers have any noticeable genetic differences to Wastelanders, after 3-4 generations underground?
reality-check post-apocalypse genetics
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
So, in my world, there are a group of people, mostly unknown to the rest of the world, who took shelter from the apocalypse 90 years ago in great underground bunkers.
Compared to the rest of the Wasteland, they live in a utopia (except for all the xenophobia, fascism, and euthanasia). They have access to clean water, plentiful food, and so on. Basically, they live a modern style of life, while the rest of the world has returned to early 19th century.
So, my question is, considering their lifestyle, would the Bunker Dwellers have any noticeable genetic differences to Wastelanders, after 3-4 generations underground?
reality-check post-apocalypse genetics
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
We have several collections of intensely realistic portraits from the Antiquity; for example, the Fayum portraits, or the vast Roman portraiture. Those people lived 2000 years ago; a hundred generations separate them from us. Do they look noticeably different from us?
$endgroup$
– AlexP
2 hours ago
$begingroup$
@AlexP: No, I mean would their eventually be any noticeable differences
$endgroup$
– Robert Paul
2 hours ago
$begingroup$
In The 100, their version of Wastelanders had developed a resistance to radiation that the bunker dwellers did not have. My point being that the kind of apocalypse would matter greatly in terms of genetic differences.
$endgroup$
– Brythan
2 hours ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
So, in my world, there are a group of people, mostly unknown to the rest of the world, who took shelter from the apocalypse 90 years ago in great underground bunkers.
Compared to the rest of the Wasteland, they live in a utopia (except for all the xenophobia, fascism, and euthanasia). They have access to clean water, plentiful food, and so on. Basically, they live a modern style of life, while the rest of the world has returned to early 19th century.
So, my question is, considering their lifestyle, would the Bunker Dwellers have any noticeable genetic differences to Wastelanders, after 3-4 generations underground?
reality-check post-apocalypse genetics
$endgroup$
So, in my world, there are a group of people, mostly unknown to the rest of the world, who took shelter from the apocalypse 90 years ago in great underground bunkers.
Compared to the rest of the Wasteland, they live in a utopia (except for all the xenophobia, fascism, and euthanasia). They have access to clean water, plentiful food, and so on. Basically, they live a modern style of life, while the rest of the world has returned to early 19th century.
So, my question is, considering their lifestyle, would the Bunker Dwellers have any noticeable genetic differences to Wastelanders, after 3-4 generations underground?
reality-check post-apocalypse genetics
reality-check post-apocalypse genetics
edited 2 hours ago
L.Dutch♦
82.1k27197405
82.1k27197405
asked 2 hours ago
Robert PaulRobert Paul
2,28561845
2,28561845
$begingroup$
We have several collections of intensely realistic portraits from the Antiquity; for example, the Fayum portraits, or the vast Roman portraiture. Those people lived 2000 years ago; a hundred generations separate them from us. Do they look noticeably different from us?
$endgroup$
– AlexP
2 hours ago
$begingroup$
@AlexP: No, I mean would their eventually be any noticeable differences
$endgroup$
– Robert Paul
2 hours ago
$begingroup$
In The 100, their version of Wastelanders had developed a resistance to radiation that the bunker dwellers did not have. My point being that the kind of apocalypse would matter greatly in terms of genetic differences.
$endgroup$
– Brythan
2 hours ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
We have several collections of intensely realistic portraits from the Antiquity; for example, the Fayum portraits, or the vast Roman portraiture. Those people lived 2000 years ago; a hundred generations separate them from us. Do they look noticeably different from us?
$endgroup$
– AlexP
2 hours ago
$begingroup$
@AlexP: No, I mean would their eventually be any noticeable differences
$endgroup$
– Robert Paul
2 hours ago
$begingroup$
In The 100, their version of Wastelanders had developed a resistance to radiation that the bunker dwellers did not have. My point being that the kind of apocalypse would matter greatly in terms of genetic differences.
$endgroup$
– Brythan
2 hours ago
$begingroup$
We have several collections of intensely realistic portraits from the Antiquity; for example, the Fayum portraits, or the vast Roman portraiture. Those people lived 2000 years ago; a hundred generations separate them from us. Do they look noticeably different from us?
$endgroup$
– AlexP
2 hours ago
$begingroup$
We have several collections of intensely realistic portraits from the Antiquity; for example, the Fayum portraits, or the vast Roman portraiture. Those people lived 2000 years ago; a hundred generations separate them from us. Do they look noticeably different from us?
$endgroup$
– AlexP
2 hours ago
$begingroup$
@AlexP: No, I mean would their eventually be any noticeable differences
$endgroup$
– Robert Paul
2 hours ago
$begingroup$
@AlexP: No, I mean would their eventually be any noticeable differences
$endgroup$
– Robert Paul
2 hours ago
$begingroup$
In The 100, their version of Wastelanders had developed a resistance to radiation that the bunker dwellers did not have. My point being that the kind of apocalypse would matter greatly in terms of genetic differences.
$endgroup$
– Brythan
2 hours ago
$begingroup$
In The 100, their version of Wastelanders had developed a resistance to radiation that the bunker dwellers did not have. My point being that the kind of apocalypse would matter greatly in terms of genetic differences.
$endgroup$
– Brythan
2 hours ago
add a comment |
4 Answers
4
active
oldest
votes
$begingroup$
Genetic no.....
Physical yes. Ample food, modern healthcare and clean water means they would be healthier, taller and good teeth. Skin would be paler and less blemishes.
A child's access to health and nutrition greatly impacts on height, strength and intelligence later in life.
Genetic changes are only really likely if the vault dwellers use genetic engineering to improve themselves or wasteland dwellers suffer from radiation caused diseases.
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
Wait, wait, aren’t genetic and physical the same thing
$endgroup$
– Robert Paul
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
@RobertPaul No. I actually upvoted this answer becuse it pointed out the most important difference you totally would see.
$endgroup$
– Ville Niemi
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
@RobertPaul There is some debate about how such differences affect gene activation and how some activation patterns seem to be inherited to next generation. But even that is usually considered phenotype not genotype I think. Not sure. This is a fairly new discovery and not perfectly understood and I do not have a biology background so I do not even try to keep up.
$endgroup$
– Ville Niemi
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
@VilleNiemi it's not a phenotype/genotype thing, it's epigenetics. Methylation markers on the DNA itself that turns certain alleles on or off. Epigenetics can also carry information acquired after birth and pass it along to the next (unborn) generation.
$endgroup$
– Cyn
58 mins ago
$begingroup$
@Robert if I live in a violent area and so lead a violent life and keep getting injured I will be covered in scars. However any children I have will not have those scars. Some physical differences are caused by genetics, some are caused by enviroment
$endgroup$
– Richard Tingle
23 mins ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
3-4 generations are not enough to establish noticeable differences between populations.
The only noticeable differences will come from the different diets: those with a richer diet will grow better (taller, bigger), while the other will necessarily reflect the much poorer diet.
For a visual reference, you can look at the famous Robert Capa's photo of a Sicilian farmer and an American soldier during WWII:
You can clearly perceive the difference in size between the well fed American soldier and the farmer. Something similar would be present in your case between the two groups.
But it won't be based on genetic differences.
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
None. None at all.
90 years? Unless life in the wastelands is unbelievably hard, you have a better-than-average chance of someone still being alive in the wasteland who was there (even if they couldn't remember) when the bunker was closed.
How much genetic difference do you have with your grandfather? Or, at very worst, your great grandfather?
None, of course.
@L.Dutch is right, the environment could bring some differences, but even that wouldn't be horrible. Give the wastelanders a bath, dress them in Fallout Bunker clothes and other than their tan and possibly and accent, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between them.
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
Well dang. I learnt something knew today. I thought genetics took only a few generations to change at most
$endgroup$
– Robert Paul
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
Hey, why’d you write Fallout?
$endgroup$
– Robert Paul
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
Wasteland outside, bunker full of survivors, 90 years... sounds exactly like the basic premise of the game Fallout I
$endgroup$
– JBH
1 hour ago
1
$begingroup$
Well yeah, I did use a few aspects for general inspiration
$endgroup$
– Robert Paul
1 hour ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
There are likely to be genetic differences, but ones that were present at the time the groups split.
Who had access to the bunkers? I'm sure it was not random luck.
The other differences will be that people with a variety of disabilities and health conditions (which may or may not be genetic) are more likely to die off if they are in the wasteland. Since most such conditions are genetic only in terms of how likely you are to get the condition, this will probably not affect the actual genetics. Yet.
For example, there aren't going to be a lot of wastelanders with conditions that affect their stamina (running away from danger), eyesight, or mobility, for example, a heart condition that shows up under physical stress. But the genetics involve multiple alleles throughout the genome (not a single inherited SNP) so it is way too early for this "natural selection" to change the gene pool in any significant way.
$endgroup$
add a comment |
Your Answer
StackExchange.ifUsing("editor", function () {
return StackExchange.using("mathjaxEditing", function () {
StackExchange.MarkdownEditor.creationCallbacks.add(function (editor, postfix) {
StackExchange.mathjaxEditing.prepareWmdForMathJax(editor, postfix, [["$", "$"], ["\\(","\\)"]]);
});
});
}, "mathjax-editing");
StackExchange.ready(function() {
var channelOptions = {
tags: "".split(" "),
id: "579"
};
initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);
StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function() {
// Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled) {
StackExchange.using("snippets", function() {
createEditor();
});
}
else {
createEditor();
}
});
function createEditor() {
StackExchange.prepareEditor({
heartbeatType: 'answer',
autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
convertImagesToLinks: false,
noModals: true,
showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
reputationToPostImages: null,
bindNavPrevention: true,
postfix: "",
imageUploader: {
brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
allowUrls: true
},
noCode: true, onDemand: true,
discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
});
}
});
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
StackExchange.ready(
function () {
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fworldbuilding.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f138121%2fcould-the-bunker-dwellers-become-noticeably-different-from-wastelanders%23new-answer', 'question_page');
}
);
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
4 Answers
4
active
oldest
votes
4 Answers
4
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
$begingroup$
Genetic no.....
Physical yes. Ample food, modern healthcare and clean water means they would be healthier, taller and good teeth. Skin would be paler and less blemishes.
A child's access to health and nutrition greatly impacts on height, strength and intelligence later in life.
Genetic changes are only really likely if the vault dwellers use genetic engineering to improve themselves or wasteland dwellers suffer from radiation caused diseases.
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
Wait, wait, aren’t genetic and physical the same thing
$endgroup$
– Robert Paul
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
@RobertPaul No. I actually upvoted this answer becuse it pointed out the most important difference you totally would see.
$endgroup$
– Ville Niemi
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
@RobertPaul There is some debate about how such differences affect gene activation and how some activation patterns seem to be inherited to next generation. But even that is usually considered phenotype not genotype I think. Not sure. This is a fairly new discovery and not perfectly understood and I do not have a biology background so I do not even try to keep up.
$endgroup$
– Ville Niemi
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
@VilleNiemi it's not a phenotype/genotype thing, it's epigenetics. Methylation markers on the DNA itself that turns certain alleles on or off. Epigenetics can also carry information acquired after birth and pass it along to the next (unborn) generation.
$endgroup$
– Cyn
58 mins ago
$begingroup$
@Robert if I live in a violent area and so lead a violent life and keep getting injured I will be covered in scars. However any children I have will not have those scars. Some physical differences are caused by genetics, some are caused by enviroment
$endgroup$
– Richard Tingle
23 mins ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Genetic no.....
Physical yes. Ample food, modern healthcare and clean water means they would be healthier, taller and good teeth. Skin would be paler and less blemishes.
A child's access to health and nutrition greatly impacts on height, strength and intelligence later in life.
Genetic changes are only really likely if the vault dwellers use genetic engineering to improve themselves or wasteland dwellers suffer from radiation caused diseases.
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
Wait, wait, aren’t genetic and physical the same thing
$endgroup$
– Robert Paul
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
@RobertPaul No. I actually upvoted this answer becuse it pointed out the most important difference you totally would see.
$endgroup$
– Ville Niemi
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
@RobertPaul There is some debate about how such differences affect gene activation and how some activation patterns seem to be inherited to next generation. But even that is usually considered phenotype not genotype I think. Not sure. This is a fairly new discovery and not perfectly understood and I do not have a biology background so I do not even try to keep up.
$endgroup$
– Ville Niemi
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
@VilleNiemi it's not a phenotype/genotype thing, it's epigenetics. Methylation markers on the DNA itself that turns certain alleles on or off. Epigenetics can also carry information acquired after birth and pass it along to the next (unborn) generation.
$endgroup$
– Cyn
58 mins ago
$begingroup$
@Robert if I live in a violent area and so lead a violent life and keep getting injured I will be covered in scars. However any children I have will not have those scars. Some physical differences are caused by genetics, some are caused by enviroment
$endgroup$
– Richard Tingle
23 mins ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Genetic no.....
Physical yes. Ample food, modern healthcare and clean water means they would be healthier, taller and good teeth. Skin would be paler and less blemishes.
A child's access to health and nutrition greatly impacts on height, strength and intelligence later in life.
Genetic changes are only really likely if the vault dwellers use genetic engineering to improve themselves or wasteland dwellers suffer from radiation caused diseases.
$endgroup$
Genetic no.....
Physical yes. Ample food, modern healthcare and clean water means they would be healthier, taller and good teeth. Skin would be paler and less blemishes.
A child's access to health and nutrition greatly impacts on height, strength and intelligence later in life.
Genetic changes are only really likely if the vault dwellers use genetic engineering to improve themselves or wasteland dwellers suffer from radiation caused diseases.
answered 1 hour ago
ThorneThorne
15.1k42046
15.1k42046
$begingroup$
Wait, wait, aren’t genetic and physical the same thing
$endgroup$
– Robert Paul
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
@RobertPaul No. I actually upvoted this answer becuse it pointed out the most important difference you totally would see.
$endgroup$
– Ville Niemi
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
@RobertPaul There is some debate about how such differences affect gene activation and how some activation patterns seem to be inherited to next generation. But even that is usually considered phenotype not genotype I think. Not sure. This is a fairly new discovery and not perfectly understood and I do not have a biology background so I do not even try to keep up.
$endgroup$
– Ville Niemi
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
@VilleNiemi it's not a phenotype/genotype thing, it's epigenetics. Methylation markers on the DNA itself that turns certain alleles on or off. Epigenetics can also carry information acquired after birth and pass it along to the next (unborn) generation.
$endgroup$
– Cyn
58 mins ago
$begingroup$
@Robert if I live in a violent area and so lead a violent life and keep getting injured I will be covered in scars. However any children I have will not have those scars. Some physical differences are caused by genetics, some are caused by enviroment
$endgroup$
– Richard Tingle
23 mins ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Wait, wait, aren’t genetic and physical the same thing
$endgroup$
– Robert Paul
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
@RobertPaul No. I actually upvoted this answer becuse it pointed out the most important difference you totally would see.
$endgroup$
– Ville Niemi
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
@RobertPaul There is some debate about how such differences affect gene activation and how some activation patterns seem to be inherited to next generation. But even that is usually considered phenotype not genotype I think. Not sure. This is a fairly new discovery and not perfectly understood and I do not have a biology background so I do not even try to keep up.
$endgroup$
– Ville Niemi
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
@VilleNiemi it's not a phenotype/genotype thing, it's epigenetics. Methylation markers on the DNA itself that turns certain alleles on or off. Epigenetics can also carry information acquired after birth and pass it along to the next (unborn) generation.
$endgroup$
– Cyn
58 mins ago
$begingroup$
@Robert if I live in a violent area and so lead a violent life and keep getting injured I will be covered in scars. However any children I have will not have those scars. Some physical differences are caused by genetics, some are caused by enviroment
$endgroup$
– Richard Tingle
23 mins ago
$begingroup$
Wait, wait, aren’t genetic and physical the same thing
$endgroup$
– Robert Paul
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
Wait, wait, aren’t genetic and physical the same thing
$endgroup$
– Robert Paul
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
@RobertPaul No. I actually upvoted this answer becuse it pointed out the most important difference you totally would see.
$endgroup$
– Ville Niemi
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
@RobertPaul No. I actually upvoted this answer becuse it pointed out the most important difference you totally would see.
$endgroup$
– Ville Niemi
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
@RobertPaul There is some debate about how such differences affect gene activation and how some activation patterns seem to be inherited to next generation. But even that is usually considered phenotype not genotype I think. Not sure. This is a fairly new discovery and not perfectly understood and I do not have a biology background so I do not even try to keep up.
$endgroup$
– Ville Niemi
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
@RobertPaul There is some debate about how such differences affect gene activation and how some activation patterns seem to be inherited to next generation. But even that is usually considered phenotype not genotype I think. Not sure. This is a fairly new discovery and not perfectly understood and I do not have a biology background so I do not even try to keep up.
$endgroup$
– Ville Niemi
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
@VilleNiemi it's not a phenotype/genotype thing, it's epigenetics. Methylation markers on the DNA itself that turns certain alleles on or off. Epigenetics can also carry information acquired after birth and pass it along to the next (unborn) generation.
$endgroup$
– Cyn
58 mins ago
$begingroup$
@VilleNiemi it's not a phenotype/genotype thing, it's epigenetics. Methylation markers on the DNA itself that turns certain alleles on or off. Epigenetics can also carry information acquired after birth and pass it along to the next (unborn) generation.
$endgroup$
– Cyn
58 mins ago
$begingroup$
@Robert if I live in a violent area and so lead a violent life and keep getting injured I will be covered in scars. However any children I have will not have those scars. Some physical differences are caused by genetics, some are caused by enviroment
$endgroup$
– Richard Tingle
23 mins ago
$begingroup$
@Robert if I live in a violent area and so lead a violent life and keep getting injured I will be covered in scars. However any children I have will not have those scars. Some physical differences are caused by genetics, some are caused by enviroment
$endgroup$
– Richard Tingle
23 mins ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
3-4 generations are not enough to establish noticeable differences between populations.
The only noticeable differences will come from the different diets: those with a richer diet will grow better (taller, bigger), while the other will necessarily reflect the much poorer diet.
For a visual reference, you can look at the famous Robert Capa's photo of a Sicilian farmer and an American soldier during WWII:
You can clearly perceive the difference in size between the well fed American soldier and the farmer. Something similar would be present in your case between the two groups.
But it won't be based on genetic differences.
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
3-4 generations are not enough to establish noticeable differences between populations.
The only noticeable differences will come from the different diets: those with a richer diet will grow better (taller, bigger), while the other will necessarily reflect the much poorer diet.
For a visual reference, you can look at the famous Robert Capa's photo of a Sicilian farmer and an American soldier during WWII:
You can clearly perceive the difference in size between the well fed American soldier and the farmer. Something similar would be present in your case between the two groups.
But it won't be based on genetic differences.
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
3-4 generations are not enough to establish noticeable differences between populations.
The only noticeable differences will come from the different diets: those with a richer diet will grow better (taller, bigger), while the other will necessarily reflect the much poorer diet.
For a visual reference, you can look at the famous Robert Capa's photo of a Sicilian farmer and an American soldier during WWII:
You can clearly perceive the difference in size between the well fed American soldier and the farmer. Something similar would be present in your case between the two groups.
But it won't be based on genetic differences.
$endgroup$
3-4 generations are not enough to establish noticeable differences between populations.
The only noticeable differences will come from the different diets: those with a richer diet will grow better (taller, bigger), while the other will necessarily reflect the much poorer diet.
For a visual reference, you can look at the famous Robert Capa's photo of a Sicilian farmer and an American soldier during WWII:
You can clearly perceive the difference in size between the well fed American soldier and the farmer. Something similar would be present in your case between the two groups.
But it won't be based on genetic differences.
answered 2 hours ago
L.Dutch♦L.Dutch
82.1k27197405
82.1k27197405
add a comment |
add a comment |
$begingroup$
None. None at all.
90 years? Unless life in the wastelands is unbelievably hard, you have a better-than-average chance of someone still being alive in the wasteland who was there (even if they couldn't remember) when the bunker was closed.
How much genetic difference do you have with your grandfather? Or, at very worst, your great grandfather?
None, of course.
@L.Dutch is right, the environment could bring some differences, but even that wouldn't be horrible. Give the wastelanders a bath, dress them in Fallout Bunker clothes and other than their tan and possibly and accent, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between them.
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
Well dang. I learnt something knew today. I thought genetics took only a few generations to change at most
$endgroup$
– Robert Paul
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
Hey, why’d you write Fallout?
$endgroup$
– Robert Paul
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
Wasteland outside, bunker full of survivors, 90 years... sounds exactly like the basic premise of the game Fallout I
$endgroup$
– JBH
1 hour ago
1
$begingroup$
Well yeah, I did use a few aspects for general inspiration
$endgroup$
– Robert Paul
1 hour ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
None. None at all.
90 years? Unless life in the wastelands is unbelievably hard, you have a better-than-average chance of someone still being alive in the wasteland who was there (even if they couldn't remember) when the bunker was closed.
How much genetic difference do you have with your grandfather? Or, at very worst, your great grandfather?
None, of course.
@L.Dutch is right, the environment could bring some differences, but even that wouldn't be horrible. Give the wastelanders a bath, dress them in Fallout Bunker clothes and other than their tan and possibly and accent, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between them.
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
Well dang. I learnt something knew today. I thought genetics took only a few generations to change at most
$endgroup$
– Robert Paul
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
Hey, why’d you write Fallout?
$endgroup$
– Robert Paul
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
Wasteland outside, bunker full of survivors, 90 years... sounds exactly like the basic premise of the game Fallout I
$endgroup$
– JBH
1 hour ago
1
$begingroup$
Well yeah, I did use a few aspects for general inspiration
$endgroup$
– Robert Paul
1 hour ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
None. None at all.
90 years? Unless life in the wastelands is unbelievably hard, you have a better-than-average chance of someone still being alive in the wasteland who was there (even if they couldn't remember) when the bunker was closed.
How much genetic difference do you have with your grandfather? Or, at very worst, your great grandfather?
None, of course.
@L.Dutch is right, the environment could bring some differences, but even that wouldn't be horrible. Give the wastelanders a bath, dress them in Fallout Bunker clothes and other than their tan and possibly and accent, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between them.
$endgroup$
None. None at all.
90 years? Unless life in the wastelands is unbelievably hard, you have a better-than-average chance of someone still being alive in the wasteland who was there (even if they couldn't remember) when the bunker was closed.
How much genetic difference do you have with your grandfather? Or, at very worst, your great grandfather?
None, of course.
@L.Dutch is right, the environment could bring some differences, but even that wouldn't be horrible. Give the wastelanders a bath, dress them in Fallout Bunker clothes and other than their tan and possibly and accent, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between them.
answered 2 hours ago
JBHJBH
43.4k593207
43.4k593207
$begingroup$
Well dang. I learnt something knew today. I thought genetics took only a few generations to change at most
$endgroup$
– Robert Paul
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
Hey, why’d you write Fallout?
$endgroup$
– Robert Paul
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
Wasteland outside, bunker full of survivors, 90 years... sounds exactly like the basic premise of the game Fallout I
$endgroup$
– JBH
1 hour ago
1
$begingroup$
Well yeah, I did use a few aspects for general inspiration
$endgroup$
– Robert Paul
1 hour ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Well dang. I learnt something knew today. I thought genetics took only a few generations to change at most
$endgroup$
– Robert Paul
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
Hey, why’d you write Fallout?
$endgroup$
– Robert Paul
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
Wasteland outside, bunker full of survivors, 90 years... sounds exactly like the basic premise of the game Fallout I
$endgroup$
– JBH
1 hour ago
1
$begingroup$
Well yeah, I did use a few aspects for general inspiration
$endgroup$
– Robert Paul
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
Well dang. I learnt something knew today. I thought genetics took only a few generations to change at most
$endgroup$
– Robert Paul
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
Well dang. I learnt something knew today. I thought genetics took only a few generations to change at most
$endgroup$
– Robert Paul
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
Hey, why’d you write Fallout?
$endgroup$
– Robert Paul
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
Hey, why’d you write Fallout?
$endgroup$
– Robert Paul
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
Wasteland outside, bunker full of survivors, 90 years... sounds exactly like the basic premise of the game Fallout I
$endgroup$
– JBH
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
Wasteland outside, bunker full of survivors, 90 years... sounds exactly like the basic premise of the game Fallout I
$endgroup$
– JBH
1 hour ago
1
1
$begingroup$
Well yeah, I did use a few aspects for general inspiration
$endgroup$
– Robert Paul
1 hour ago
$begingroup$
Well yeah, I did use a few aspects for general inspiration
$endgroup$
– Robert Paul
1 hour ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
There are likely to be genetic differences, but ones that were present at the time the groups split.
Who had access to the bunkers? I'm sure it was not random luck.
The other differences will be that people with a variety of disabilities and health conditions (which may or may not be genetic) are more likely to die off if they are in the wasteland. Since most such conditions are genetic only in terms of how likely you are to get the condition, this will probably not affect the actual genetics. Yet.
For example, there aren't going to be a lot of wastelanders with conditions that affect their stamina (running away from danger), eyesight, or mobility, for example, a heart condition that shows up under physical stress. But the genetics involve multiple alleles throughout the genome (not a single inherited SNP) so it is way too early for this "natural selection" to change the gene pool in any significant way.
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
There are likely to be genetic differences, but ones that were present at the time the groups split.
Who had access to the bunkers? I'm sure it was not random luck.
The other differences will be that people with a variety of disabilities and health conditions (which may or may not be genetic) are more likely to die off if they are in the wasteland. Since most such conditions are genetic only in terms of how likely you are to get the condition, this will probably not affect the actual genetics. Yet.
For example, there aren't going to be a lot of wastelanders with conditions that affect their stamina (running away from danger), eyesight, or mobility, for example, a heart condition that shows up under physical stress. But the genetics involve multiple alleles throughout the genome (not a single inherited SNP) so it is way too early for this "natural selection" to change the gene pool in any significant way.
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
There are likely to be genetic differences, but ones that were present at the time the groups split.
Who had access to the bunkers? I'm sure it was not random luck.
The other differences will be that people with a variety of disabilities and health conditions (which may or may not be genetic) are more likely to die off if they are in the wasteland. Since most such conditions are genetic only in terms of how likely you are to get the condition, this will probably not affect the actual genetics. Yet.
For example, there aren't going to be a lot of wastelanders with conditions that affect their stamina (running away from danger), eyesight, or mobility, for example, a heart condition that shows up under physical stress. But the genetics involve multiple alleles throughout the genome (not a single inherited SNP) so it is way too early for this "natural selection" to change the gene pool in any significant way.
$endgroup$
There are likely to be genetic differences, but ones that were present at the time the groups split.
Who had access to the bunkers? I'm sure it was not random luck.
The other differences will be that people with a variety of disabilities and health conditions (which may or may not be genetic) are more likely to die off if they are in the wasteland. Since most such conditions are genetic only in terms of how likely you are to get the condition, this will probably not affect the actual genetics. Yet.
For example, there aren't going to be a lot of wastelanders with conditions that affect their stamina (running away from danger), eyesight, or mobility, for example, a heart condition that shows up under physical stress. But the genetics involve multiple alleles throughout the genome (not a single inherited SNP) so it is way too early for this "natural selection" to change the gene pool in any significant way.
edited 1 hour ago
answered 2 hours ago
CynCyn
6,46911037
6,46911037
add a comment |
add a comment |
Thanks for contributing an answer to Worldbuilding Stack Exchange!
- Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!
But avoid …
- Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.
- Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.
Use MathJax to format equations. MathJax reference.
To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
StackExchange.ready(
function () {
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fworldbuilding.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f138121%2fcould-the-bunker-dwellers-become-noticeably-different-from-wastelanders%23new-answer', 'question_page');
}
);
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
$begingroup$
We have several collections of intensely realistic portraits from the Antiquity; for example, the Fayum portraits, or the vast Roman portraiture. Those people lived 2000 years ago; a hundred generations separate them from us. Do they look noticeably different from us?
$endgroup$
– AlexP
2 hours ago
$begingroup$
@AlexP: No, I mean would their eventually be any noticeable differences
$endgroup$
– Robert Paul
2 hours ago
$begingroup$
In The 100, their version of Wastelanders had developed a resistance to radiation that the bunker dwellers did not have. My point being that the kind of apocalypse would matter greatly in terms of genetic differences.
$endgroup$
– Brythan
2 hours ago