Mutagens Explained

Mutagenics is researchable after Advanced Chemistry, Advanced Glassblowing, Viticulture and Gardening -> Crossbreeding, Herbiculture. (See the Talk:Mutagens page for the full path.)

Missing Mutagen Moss Alerts

Saqqarah Positives: Crackly, Slimy, Smelly  Negatives: Fuzzy, Hairy, Mottled  Contact Ariella

Note: A mutagenic moss MUST have all the positive attributes listed. The moss cannot have any of the three negative attributes listed. It can also have any other attributes along with the positive attributes.

Example:
Positive Moss Attributes: Hairy, Mottled, Striped
Negative Moss Attributes: Calico, Spongy, Spotted
A correct moss could be Dry, Hairy, Mottled, Striped or Hairy, Fuzzy, Mottled, Reticulated, Striped. A wrong moss would be Hairy, Mottled (it is missing Striped) or Hairy, Mottled, Spotted, Striped (it should not have the negative Spotted in it).

What Is A Mutagen?

A mutagen is a secretion droplet created by a recipe in a mutagen lab. The recipe and ingredients are akin to a recipe and ingredients in a kitchen. A mutagen lab will continue secreting mutagen droplets from a recipe for about 30 days at a rate of about 9 droplets per real life day. The mutagen lab cannot be stopped or used for another mutagen recipe during this time period.

How To Apply/Use a Mutagen

A mutagen is applied to the left and right splint plants in a greenhouse. The mutagen will switch a gene from the left splint plant with a gene from the right splint plant. It can be used on any plant with a genome -- sea lilies, roses of Ra, orchids, sand blooms, flax, wheat, vines, etc.

A mutagen is applied to the left and right splint plants in a greenhouse. The mutagen will switch a gene located at m% of the genome on the Left Splint plant with a gene located at n% of the genome on the Right Splint plant.

Two child plants are produced. The child plant with the lowest number retains the exact same genome of the parent in the left splint plant except for the switched gene, and the child plant with the highest number retains the excat same genome of the parent in the right splint plant except for the switched gene. This is in contrast to Cross Breeding with Nut's Essence, where some of the left part of the genome of the left splint plant is spliced onto a section of the right part of the genome of the right splint plant and produces only one child bulb.

Advanced Mutagen info

When applying a mutagen to a hybrid of your own you can calculate the switched genes by using the Left and Right Splint minimum and maximum percentages listed on Mutagen Research and Recipes. The minimum and maximum percentages lead to a range of gene positions in which the actual switched gene resides. Tests narrow this range to improve the accuracy of the identification of the switched gene in any given genome. You will need to follow these directions with both the Left Splint and Right Splint. To use these directions you must know your plant's genome exactly which can be found by using solvents. Note that the genome length NEVER includes the 'K' or Black gene at the front and end of the plant genome.

To figure the minimum and maximum range gene positions of the Left Splint genome:

• Multiply the Left Splint genome plant length by the Left Splint minimum percentage listed. Round this figure down. Add 1 to the last figure. This is the leftmost possible gene position of the switched gene from the Left Splint plant genome.
• Multiply the Left Splint genome plant length by the Left Splint maximum percentage listed. Round this figure up. This is the rightmost possible gene position of the switched gene from the Left Splint plant genome.
• You now know the RANGE of genes that the switched gene position is in for the Left Splint genome.

Repeat the above EXCEPT replace the words 'Left Splint' with 'Right Splint' to know the RANGE of genes that the switched gene position in the Right Splint plant.

  In formula form:
  Lowest possible gene sequence number  = [Round down(genome length * min %)] + 1
  Highest possible gene sequence number = [Round up(genome length * max %)]

Example

(See the Genomes page for genome info) In the greenhouse, a Vampire Sea Lily is put in the Left Splint, and a Fracture Sea Lily is put in the Right Splint. A theoretical Crackly, Spongy and Striped mutagen is applied. The mutagen switches the bolded genes Y and G in the following way:

Crackly, Spongy and Striped might switch the gene located at 10% to 12% on the Left Splint with the gene located at 63% to 66% on the Right Splint. By different methods you can eventually narrow down the exact gene location to the theoretical example below. (Those methods will be outlined later in an advanced guide).

Left Splint--> IYIYIOIYIOIO (Vampire genome)
Right Splint--> ROYGROYGYORGORGOOO (Fracture genome)

Two child bulbs result:

[avatar name] #1 IGIYIOIYIOIO
[avatar name] #2 ROYGROYGYORYORGOOO

Note: In practice, we do not know the exact percentages that a mutagen will hit.

Second Example (Advanced)

Example 1 (Range % determination)

• we put a plant with length 30 genome in left splint
• we put a plant with length 20 genome in the right splint
• we apply a mutagen with left percentages 10.02-11.52 and right percentages 53.11-55.30
• targeted gene calculation
  • left splint lowest possible impact 10.02 * 30 / 100 = 3.006, + 1 and rounded down --> 4
  • left splint highest possible impact 11.52 * 30 / 100 = 3.456, rounded up --> 4
  • right splint lowest possible impact 53.11 * 20 / 100 = 10.622, + 1 and rounded down --> 11
  • right splint highest possible impact 55.30 * 20 / 100 = 11.060, rounded up --> 12
• so the mutagen will target the 4th gene of the left splint plant and the 11th or 12th gene of the right splint plant (looking at the numbers shows a higher probability to hit the 11th)
• we proceed with the experiment and hope to hit the 11th
• we are lucky and hit the 11th !!!
• this means we can narrow down the Right Splint's right target zone max. % as follows: 11/20 = 55.000 % (round down for min. %, round up for max. %)

Example 2 (planning for a correct hit)

• we want to hit (= replace) the 7th gene of a length 27 genome
• target min. % = (7-1) * 100 / 27 = 22.222
• target max. % = 7 * 100 / 27 = 25.926
• we look at the mutagen table and sort the table on Left target min. %
• mutagens with Left min. % >= 22.222 and Left max. % <= 25.926 are candidates to be goodies
• for each goodie, look at the possibilities of hits with the Right target values for the plants you have available for the Right Splint, you will likely find a plant with the gene you want in the perfect spot, especially when using short genomes
• if no goodies found yet (or if you are brave enough to look for other solutions) look at the mutagen table and sort the table on Right target min. %
• mutagens with Right min. % >= 22.222 and Right max. % <= 25.926 are candidates to be goodies
• for each goodie, look at the possibilities of hits with the Left target values for the plants you have available for the Left Splint, you will likely find a plant with the gene you want in the perfect spot, especially when using short genomes

  Feel free to contact Ariella or Pascalito with questions and with data updates -- accurate data is of EXTREME importance