User:Vivaporius/Sandbox/The Mikaegeny/III

Biology

Biological variation

Biological variation within the Mikaean species is remarkably limited, even by human standards, where the genetic similarity between any two humans is about 99.5%-99.9%. Notably, there is about 3–4 times as much genetic variation within humans and 8–9 times as much within chimpanzees as there is within the totality of the Mikaean gene pool. Many genetic biologists believe that the size of the Mikaean gene pool may be even smaller as a direct consequence of the species method of reproduction, ensuring that only the same genetic patterns are passed down from generation from generation, likely explaining the universality of the traits commonly associated with the Mikaeans. This is not to say that there is little notable variation within the Mikaean population, but that the majority of this variation is more linked to physical build rather than anything more substantial such as blood type, skin color, hair color, genetic diseases, and cranial and facial features.

Based on this information, one can find the following features common within the Mikaeans. Brown, grey, and hazel eyes are the only three eye colors present within the Mikaean population, with grey eyes being the most common and brown eyes being the least common. Birthmarks such as freckles and beauty marks are present within both the male and female populations of the Mikaeans, and tend to follow a strict pattern throughout the entire race. Freckles only appear across the cheeks and nose of the individual, while beauty marks tend to form below the eyes and on either side of the lip. Hair on males grows to be short, coarse, and curly, while in females their hair tends to grow out into a straight or moderately curly pattern; likewise, the hair within the Mikaean population is universally black in color. Skin color within the Mikaeans is uniformly light brown in coloration, a description which has remained unchanged from the time the Mikaeans departed from Africa to their migration to their present homeland in North America.

Other traits found throughout the species is their congenital myopic astigmatism, a refractive error within the eye causing severe nearsightedness throughout the entire Mikaean race. This visual handicap has long been listed as part of reason the Mikaeans have been adverse to conflict, due to the inability to properly the until the widespread use of corrective lens in their homeland during the mid-17th century. Because of this limitation, the Mikaeans as a species have heavily-relied on the use of corrective lens, which have since became an important part of their racial identity. Furthermore, due to the universal prevalence of myopia among their people, it has been theorized that part of the Mikaeans' preference for conflict avoidance was influenced by their visual disorder, at least until eye glasses became a common accessory within their homeland.

Despite their lack of genetic diversity, the Mikaeans have shown a remarkable level of resilience in adapting to new climates and environments throughout their history. It has long been theorized that the few instances of significant biological variety within the species has been the direct result of so-called "active breeding" by the Mikaean patriarchs, who proactively alter their offspring prior to birth to adapt to whatever needs they have deemed necessary for their clade. How this is accomplished by the males is remains unknown, but researchers have long surmised that the process may be instinctual, as a patriarch migrates into a new biome where he will actively spawn offspring with the best traits to thrive there within the limited genetic range available to the species. For example, the melanin levels within the Mikaeans appear to be influenced more by the patriarchs than external environmental factors, though Mikaeans have be known to darken (tan) when exposed to significant levels of UV radiation, however not so much as to produce the range of skin tones found within humans.