About Goa'uld DNA...

[Devilfish]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the way understand it, new Goa'uld larva come from a queen, who needs the dna of the species she wants her offspring to be 'compatible' with, right?
Now I'm assuming the offspring would have 50% of the queen's dna and 50% 'alien' dna. If that's the case, how does genetic memory even work? Wouldn't you need a whole lot of queens to create a population of goa'uld that is only 50% pure? And that's assuming the queen was 100% pure qoa'uld to begin with. And I thought only Harsesis were 100%, and they are hunted down and killed. And how does a queen inside a host reproduce anyway? Could that be why Egeria started the Tok'ra movement? Because she wasn't a pure goa'uld?
If you take all that into account (although I'm pretty sure I made a mistake somewhere) the goa'uld should've been extinct long ago, due to genetic impurity.

[Qasim]

I dont think the dna is used in the creation of the larvae - i think they reproduce asexually

Its just for passing on information on how to survive in that lifeform

[Devilfish]

That would make perfect sense, but at the end of the Hathor episode, when Frazier mentions she can use the dead larvae to examine their dna, Daniel replies that 'a lot of it would probably be mine'
Ew indeed.
Now he's no bio-engineer and neither am I, but still. Hathor says she needs the dna to prevent rejection, so it must be part of the larvae's dna.

[MarshAngel]

I don't think it would amount to 50% though. That would imply the larvae are half human and that's not the case. They probably just need the bits that would prevent rejection.

[Devilfish]

Well even if it's just 1% or less, doesn't the question remain the same? The amount would double every time they reproduced, and the goa'uld are a very old race.

[Prior_of_the_Ori]

I think the 'Code of Life' is required to prevent the body from rejecting the 'foriegn' body that is within it and make it more easy for the young goa'uld to survive in its 'alien' environment. I dont think the goa'uld has 50% of the DNA just enough to make it 'blend in' with the body.

[Devilfish]

I would like to point to my previous statement

Suppose goa'uld with their dna coded to blend with humans, for example, have 1% or less human dna, to avoid rejection. Next queen, 2%. Next one, 3% (or is that 4%? I don't have a head for numbers) and so on. We know the goa'uld are a pretty old race. How long would it take for the human dna (in this example) to reach 51%? Not very long, I think, or am I missing something?

In any case, I'm assuming only a queen can spawn more queens, for arguments sake.

I'm not saying this theory is flawless, (I only have very basic understanding of genetics), but if it is, the goa'uld shoud've been extinct long ago.

[MarshAngel]

Suppose goa'uld with their dna coded to blend with humans, for example, have 1% or less human dna, to avoid rejection. Next queen, 2%. Next one, 3% (or is that 4%? I don't have a head for numbers) and so on. We know the goa'uld are a pretty old race. How long would it take for the human dna (in this example) to reach 51%? Not very long, I think, or am I missing something?

I don't think that DNA adds up that way. What it sounds like you're saying is that more human dna will be added over generations but that makes no sense sence they'd still only be working with the same percentage and the same DNA set. No extra is being added in the reproductive process.

Furthermore that theory seems to be based on sexual reproduction and the queens produce asexually so they're basically just copies of each other of sorts.

[Prior_of_the_Ori]

What MarshAngel said, there would be no accumulation of DNA among the goa'uld larva.

[Devilfish]

And that would be the fluke in the theory I only have a very basic understanding of genetics. Guess it shows. Thanks for clearing that up, I have to admit it was bothering me. But I still would be right if I said that there's no such thing as 100% pure goa'uld dna, right? Or... not right?

[_Owen_]

Someone probably said this already, but I believe the Goa'uld reproduce asexually, all of the DNA in the offspring comes from the queen, likely altered to prevent a race of clones. memory could be passed on with two sources of DNA, the memory would just come from the queen or it could come from both Goa'uld.

[GateNuts]

And that would be the fluke in the theory I only have a very basic understanding of genetics. Guess it shows. Thanks for clearing that up, I have to admit it was bothering me. But I still would be right if I said that there's no such thing as 100% pure goa'uld dna, right? Or... not right?

I would say no, that would not be right. Think of the the Goa'uld/Host DNA compatability like a lock and key; the lock being a host DNA, and the key being the Goa'uld DNA. The two DNA strands are quite different and totally independant; but if the key doesn't fit the lock it won't work. The incompatability would eventually either dammage the lock or the key. If the lock fails the host dies and hence the symbiote without a host in which to survive.

The queen uses the DNA from the host race to identify the chambers of the lock and creates a Goa'uld key that fits that lock. Again the lock chambers being a metaphor for the intricacies of the Host DNA.

Hence, Goa'uld larva remain purely Goa'uld, but with a compatability twist to trick the host into accepting it. One other way to think of it would be an adapted virus, it knows how to dodge the immune system because it has the right structure to avoid capture by white blood cells. Teh Goa'uld simply preform this trick at a much more advanced level of biology.

I hope that helps.

[Devilfish]

Yes, that helps! I finally get it, makes perfect sense. Man, I really should stick to archeology

[RA the sun god]

well the only reason hathor neededd the dna was because instead of implanting the symbiote in a jaffa which they are meant for she was usind humans and i agree with gateunuts i think the queen takes a dna sample studys it then makes dna changes to her ofspring making them compatible then discarding the dna so no dna goes into the offspring

[Prior_of_the_Ori]

I would say no, that would not be right. Think of the the Goa'uld/Host DNA compatability like a lock and key; the lock being a host DNA, and the key being the Goa'uld DNA. The two DNA strands are quite different and totally independant; but if the key doesn't fit the lock it won't work. The incompatability would eventually either dammage the lock or the key. If the lock fails the host dies and hence the symbiote without a host in which to survive.

The queen uses the DNA from the host race to identify the chambers of the lock and creates a Goa'uld key that fits that lock. Again the lock chambers being a metaphor for the intricacies of the Host DNA.

Hence, Goa'uld larva remain purely Goa'uld, but with a compatability twist to trick the host into accepting it. One other way to think of it would be an adapted virus, it knows how to dodge the immune system because it has the right structure to avoid capture by white blood cells. Teh Goa'uld simply preform this trick at a much more advanced level of biology.

I hope that helps.

Thats an excellent explanation there, nice one.