• Comic: You Look Familiar / Biology is Magic

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    What better way to learn biology than from Twilight Sparkle? She could teach me anything.

    And some of that weird Pinkie/Octavia relationship thing below. You guys are crazy! Octavia is a totally different color!

    Monday, January 16, 2012 op
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    60 comments:

    1. baschotariaJanuary 16, 2012 at 1:00 PM

      Twilight and pony genetics? oh dear...

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    2. AnonymousJanuary 16, 2012 at 1:01 PM

      pony biology eh?...

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    3. ThunderIceJanuary 16, 2012 at 1:02 PM

      Pony....biology?

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    4. HarbingerofmeJanuary 16, 2012 at 1:04 PM

      @baschotaria
      http://www.champloorules.com/home/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/mother-god-meme.jpg

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    5. GuarddogjrJanuary 16, 2012 at 1:06 PM

      Twilight would be an awesome Bio teacher.

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    6. Rodrigo OsorioJanuary 16, 2012 at 1:06 PM

      #1 I don't know about you guys, but I'll have to mull this one over later when I have the time. Still, looks interesting.

      #2 I'm sure a lot of us were thinking this at some point. And that look on Octavia in the last panel... LOL

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    7. The InvincibleJanuary 16, 2012 at 1:10 PM

      Twilight Sparkle, you're so smart.

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    8. scienceandponiesJanuary 16, 2012 at 1:13 PM

      Unicorns should pretty rare.
      Canterlot = incredibly inbred.

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    9. LS RamosJanuary 16, 2012 at 1:16 PM

      The concept doesn't seem too off, although I feel like it makes unicorns rarer than they are, but what happens to a family in Cloudsdale if they have a unicorn baby? Do they know in advance? It'd be a bit awkward if they had to rush to the nearest earthbound town during childbirth. I'd assume the family would either be forced to move or abandon the baby, at that...

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    10. NikoJanuary 16, 2012 at 1:17 PM

      Yeah....I'll have to go over the first one again later.

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    11. jodyjm13January 16, 2012 at 1:17 PM

      Another take on the Pinkie/Octavia relationship.

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    12. Renegade the Last ShadowboltJanuary 16, 2012 at 1:23 PM

      #1 Thank goodness I took Honors Biology my freshman year, now I don't remeber

      #2 She probeblly wondering if she was that pony's sister or not

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    13. Mr. NuttJanuary 16, 2012 at 1:28 PM

      Is it me or does it look like Octavia in the last panel is thinking "but I am your sister".

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    14. Senior WafflesJanuary 16, 2012 at 1:29 PM

      #1 Biology FTW! (I'm a biology major, and genetics is quite fun.)

      #2 You and me both Octavia.

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    15. LazuliJanuary 16, 2012 at 1:29 PM

      The first comic implies that unicorns or pegasi, depending on the choice, are much rarer then others. That doesn't seem to be so in the actual episodes as far as we've seen.

      Still, it's better than what I've come up with, which is a bit scientifically incorrect... But, hey! It's magic!

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    16. D. ShadowsJanuary 16, 2012 at 1:30 PM

      1. My evil biology teacher said I failed biology forever, but then I went back into the past and turned his mother into a pony. He still exists if your wonder and I made biology what it is today... a complete mish mash of pants! (Pants being a dirty word in the UK I apologize to any person of the Unite Kingdom that happens to be reading)

      2. It's not her sister. It's her distant Cousin Octavia Crescendo Pie! She just has a closely related color scheme to one of Pinkie's sisters who is named Inky.

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    17. XJanuary 16, 2012 at 1:31 PM

      1st: I don't get it, I think I nailed it in Swedish though... A long time ago =P
      2nd: You've got to stare, you've got to care!
      @jodyjm13: haha, wanted to see the look on Twilights face XP

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    18. Cloudy KittyJanuary 16, 2012 at 1:32 PM

      #1 Twilight teaching biology. At least it made sense to us!

      #2 Still don't know how to feel about them possibly being sisters.

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    19. MasemJanuary 16, 2012 at 1:33 PM

      The only problem I see with the theory (but of course, we have no evidence against it) is that a unicorn-unicorn pairing will always product a unicorn, barring genetic mutation.

      Mind you, on the larger picture, where this suggests unicorns are less likely, this actually would seem to be reasonable in the class structure we know Equestria has.

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    20. AnonymousJanuary 16, 2012 at 1:34 PM

      My problem with the Biology one is that is makes Unicorns incredibly rare, unless there are laws prohibiting Unicorns from breeding with the other races to maintain the purity of their blood. Which obviously isn't the case.

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    21. Mac3030January 16, 2012 at 1:36 PM

      Twilight teaching biology? YAY!

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    22. Senior WafflesJanuary 16, 2012 at 1:36 PM

      Oops, should have put this in my other post but no big deal, whatever.

      While it is odd that there seems to be an abundance of unicorns in the show, think of it like this way. In humans, there's really only two main eye colors, brown and blue. Hazel is actually a mutation of brown and green is a mutation of blue. Earth ponies are like people with brown eyes, pegasi are like people with blue eyes, and unicorns are like people with green eyes since mutations in eye color are somewhat rare and blue eyes are recessive making it even more unlikely. And then there's alicorns! They're like albinos.

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    23. The InvincibleJanuary 16, 2012 at 1:40 PM

      I think that the example presented in the comic is just that; an example that presents the formula. Not meant to explain and outline every result. You could also change the example around so that unicorn is the dominant gene, and it wouldn't affect the formula.

      Also, magic.

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    24. Agile WingsJanuary 16, 2012 at 1:43 PM

      #1 a theory and an interesting one at that.
      #2 haha oh pinkie. I do wonder if we will see more from some of the casts families at some point. Will have to wait an see :)

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    25. BulletsJanuary 16, 2012 at 1:46 PM

      I'm glad to say that I can understand #1 :P

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    26. AnonymousJanuary 16, 2012 at 1:48 PM

      =O that's weird I was just studying biology... Meh, I bet Twilight's better than any teacher I know.

      Hmm the second comic was pretty good but the whole way through I was just thinking of how it reminded me of the cafe scene in the Loss fanfic - so sad ='(

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    27. MasqueradeJanuary 16, 2012 at 1:51 PM

      Earth ponies for the win! Punnett Squares, not so much, but still, good job #1. If only we could factor in alicorns, too. (Did I miss it if they did?)

      I'm pretty sure that Blinky and Octavia have the same color scheme... I did wonder who first made that connection, and I don't hold it to heart, but it could be true.

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    28. MasqueradeJanuary 16, 2012 at 1:54 PM

      @scienceandponies
      Blueblood.

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    29. AJJanuary 16, 2012 at 1:55 PM

      The first one is definitely cool to read. Also, it doesn't mean that unicorns must be incredibly rare at all... If I understand it correctly, two unicorn parents will always have unicorn children, 100% of the time. No other species has that guarantee. Pegasi and Earth ponies will occasionally produce Unicorn babies as well.

      Now, when cross-breeding, unicorn is the most unlikely result, but is still possible. But from what we've seen, mixed-relationships are still the minority. With Canterlot being a unicorn city, Cloudsdale being a Pegasi city and Ponyville being an Earth Pony city, the odds of meeting and mating with a pony of the same race seems pretty high still.

      As for #2, I would think that they both would remember their first encounter at the Gala. Pinkie surely made an impression, and since she knows every pony in Ponyville to the point where she instantly recognizes someone new is in town, I'd guess she's pretty good at placing faces. Not that it wasn't funny though... Loved the expressions.

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    30. MikeJanuary 16, 2012 at 2:06 PM

      Good memories from AP Bio.
      ...and a couple repressed ones too... the tests in that class were insane.

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    31. KTSJanuary 16, 2012 at 2:13 PM

      1. Or in other words SCIENCE!!!

      2.Oh Octavia how did it seem like you are being confused by somepony else, especially Pinkie's Sister.

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    32. AviatorRunning ♦♦♦January 16, 2012 at 2:23 PM

      O-0 I like trains

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    33. KyroneaJanuary 16, 2012 at 2:29 PM

      1. No! The pony races aren't that simple. They're not like humans. The differences between them aren't like skin color or height or something. It's a combination of a lot of different anatomical factors. Blood vessels and nerve endings in the head for the horn. All kinds of different muscles for the wings, along with hollow bones. And so on and so forth. I'm not buying it.

      2. On the other hand, I did like this comic as usual. It's an easy joke to make, but still funny.

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    34. Flare TumbleJanuary 16, 2012 at 2:35 PM

      EVERYPONY ITS MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY!!

      AND AS THE EPISODE BRIDLE GOSSIP TEACHES US: LOVE AND TOLERATE EVERYONE REGARDLESS OF RACE OR SKIN TONE!

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    35. AJJanuary 16, 2012 at 2:39 PM

      @Harwick

      One more follow up to the idea that the genetics would make one of the races "rare": That would depend on many other factors as well. I already mentioned prevalence of cross-breeding would play a huge role, but even behavioral or physiological differences would matter as well.

      For instance, while it's necessary to have an Earth Pony parent in order to have an Earth Pony baby (something that doesn't hold true for the other two races) it's entirely possible that Earth Ponies have larger families... possibly because they are heartier breeding stock, possibly because they live more rural lifestyles where larger families are necessary for working. The Cakes had twins, and Pinkie and Applejack each have multiple siblings. Our (more urban) Unicorn family examples feature apparent only-child Twilight and Rarity with her one sister.

      I don't believe we've ever had a hint of Pegasi families, have we?

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    36. QugoJanuary 16, 2012 at 2:42 PM

      Twilight makes an awesome biology teacher
      i learned a lot about genes now
      and what if that was pinkie's sister?

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    37. Bio-spy09January 16, 2012 at 2:42 PM

      #2 lol :D

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    38. Hunter MooreJanuary 16, 2012 at 2:43 PM

      This comment has been removed by the author.

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    39. Hunter MooreJanuary 16, 2012 at 2:49 PM

      I really like the genetics one :) good work

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    40. Karl N. HauberJanuary 16, 2012 at 2:57 PM

      #1

      While this is pretty neat (kudos!), it doesn't actually explain the Cake's twins.

      Mr. and Mrs. Cake were Earth Ponies, and assuming the Earth Pony allele is dominant, each of them only had a single non Earth Pony allele of different phenotypes.

      Each of their children could only have at maximum 1 pegasus allele and 1 unicorn allele, and so they would have shared the same phenotype.

      If the Pegasus allele was dominant, it would have been impossible for them to have a unicorn child, and if the Unicorn allele was dominant, it would have been impossible for them to have a Pegasus child.

      Also, it is highly unlikely that the alleles for wings and the alleles for horns are located on the same locus, as the traits are located on different parts of the body.

      If I were to hazard a guess, I would suggest that Ponies have the genetic material for all three phenotypes, but there is an epigenetic trigger that causes one of them to express at the expense of the others. Perhaps a Paramutation due to Methylated DNA or RNA, or just plain magic.

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    41. DestroyerJanuary 16, 2012 at 3:00 PM

      Man I remember my class on biology *wipes tear from eye* brings back memories and what better way to have nostalgia than with ponies!

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    42. Cobalt CometJanuary 16, 2012 at 3:11 PM

      #1 Oh no, not more pony genetics. lol I don't -want- to say some people really over-think this show... but some people really over-think this show. ;)

      #2 That first line. Who am I? Fluttershy? lol But yeah, this is still a REALLY silly thing. I cant believe there are actually still some people who believe Octavia is Pinkie's sister. I think they need their eyes examined a bit. Or perhaps they need to relearn colors. *shrugs* Silly comic though at least.

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    43. Project-345January 16, 2012 at 3:13 PM

      HAPPY MARTIN LUTHER KING DAAAY!!! TO ALL BRONIES BLACK WHITE AND ALL SHADES!

      ReplyDelete
    44. PoshJanuary 16, 2012 at 3:25 PM

      I have my own explanation for the twin's racial characteristics. Pound Cake got all the dominant genes, while Carrot Cake got all the FLAWED, RECESSIVE GENES.

      That makes sense, right?

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    45. Greenf0xJanuary 16, 2012 at 3:33 PM

      This still doesnt explain how they got a unicorn unless Pumpkin cake has only one trait.

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    46. Fleetwood_BroughamJanuary 16, 2012 at 3:37 PM

      You lost me at "Genetics"

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    47. space bronyJanuary 16, 2012 at 4:12 PM

      #1: That gene effect is called epistasis, if you were wondering.

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    48. Evan the BronyJanuary 16, 2012 at 4:17 PM

      Um, Seth?
      http://images.wikia.com/mlp/images/f/f1/Inky_Pie.png

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    49. jodyjm13January 16, 2012 at 5:01 PM

      @Karl N. Hauber
      I don't really feel a strong need for a concrete scientific explanation of how ponies can have children of different types, but I do think this would be an excellent foundation for just such an explanation. Thanks!

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    50. jodyjm13January 16, 2012 at 5:08 PM

      image comparing Inky Pie and Octavia

      Close but no pie, IMHO. The coat's a slightly different shade of grey, the mane and tail are definitely different shades (Octavia's are almost black), and Octavia's eyes are shaped differently, sharing the design of Rarity's and the spa ponies' eyes.

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    51. Dr. RobotnikJanuary 16, 2012 at 5:33 PM

      This theory doesn't make much sense. According to those punnet squares, there should be 75% earth ponies, ~19% pegasi, and ~6% unicorns, but there's practically an even split according to the wiki (http://mlp.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_ponies). Normally, this wouldn't be that out there, but these odds are too abnormal. I think I'll stick with the rock paper scissors theory.

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    52. AnonymousJanuary 16, 2012 at 6:05 PM

      The genetics proposals I've seen so far seem to be missing the really obvious simple possibility: There is a single unit (gene, chromosome, etc.) that determines pony race, with three alleles (pegasus, unicorn, earth pony). Each parent contributes a copy, and one copy is epigenetically disabled. It allows for simple unbiased hybridization, including offspring different from parent types. The scheme just doesn't explain the princesses, but they're plausibly different anyway.

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    53. LS RamosJanuary 16, 2012 at 6:12 PM

      I was thinking about this while running errands.

      What if it's not controlled exclusively by genetics, but by environmental factors as well? If pegasus, unicorn, and earth pony were several different phenotypes derived from the same genotype. Something similar to, say, the environmentally controlled sex changes in wrasse or temperature dependent sexual development in crocodiles.

      For example higher levels of sun exposure and less nutritional intake, as one would presumably find in Cloudsdale, may result in a different hormonal melange than that of a pregnant pony living on the earth, which has more food but also exposure to an entirely different ecosystem. Also unicorns science something something something...

      In this model, there may be a genetic disposition, but expression of the phenotypes are modulated by external factors. Unlike the simple Punnett Square model, the ponies in question simply need to have the gene to be expressed and they could be expressed. If overlapping environmental factors controlled the expression of a phenotype, like high insulin in the mother resulting in a higher probability of being a pegasus or a unicorn, then cases like Mrs. Cake's are possible given Mr. Cakes' explanation. Each child inherited a particular predisposition to a phenotype and their mother's lifestyle activated both. Perhaps there are also conditions for epistasis when a foal inherits both predispositions, or perhaps a unicorn/pegasus zygote is simply not viable except for extremely rare cases.

      In that case pegasi and unicorns would have a lot of trouble mating. That would make for a sad, sad, fanfic...

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    54. SomeGuyJanuary 16, 2012 at 7:10 PM

      #1 Makes sense to me
      #2 Well that was something

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    55. AnonymousJanuary 16, 2012 at 7:25 PM

      @Jade Lie

      Yes, pretty much. Whether it's a single master gene that regulates the expression of genes all types of ponies may carry or a complex of genes that is inherited as a group (like if there were a chromosome that carries race-specific traits, like the XY chromosome for sex), the results would be similar for the level of detail we're ever likely to see in the show.

      However, keep in mind that we don't know that high-altitude-enabling adaptations are unique to pegasi. Unicorns and earth ponies seemed fine when visiting Cloudsdale. And there would be genotypic hybrids (the Cakes and their children are almost certainly genotypic hybrids) even if there are no phenotypic hybrids besides the princesses.

      People do seem to like strictly Mendelian models (I don't recall much epigenetics in high school bio, which may be a factor), but it doesn't seem to match the situation in Equestria very well.

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    56. herpyderpyJanuary 16, 2012 at 8:24 PM

      #1 Biology was never my strong suit, but still a fun read nonetheless.

      #2 Love the expressions here, great job.

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    57. litewarior4January 16, 2012 at 8:35 PM

      My one question..

      In the penultimate panel of #2, the flower transformed, then changed back. How?

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    58. Lord DaenarJanuary 17, 2012 at 12:35 AM

      http://i5.pixs.ru/storage/3/1/3/Genetikapn_8013312_3774313.png
      It's in Russian, but that doesn't change a lot.
      Also, there is a possibility of alicorn in this table.

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    59. AnonymousJanuary 17, 2012 at 6:42 AM

      @Octavia
      Hair Colors change Octi plus there's such a thing as Hair dye. As for those commenting: "But it ruins the PacMan theme" Pinkie probably nicknamed Octavia "Inky" when they were younger after the logic that Octavia shortens to Octi and she (being Pinkie) thought that Ink came from them and the nickname stuck

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    60. FavoJanuary 17, 2012 at 9:01 PM

      Seth don't be racist now.

      ReplyDelete

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