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In the world of genetics, evolution is partly the result of changes in the make-up of a being's DNA. Those changes occur as DNA replicates itself, occasionally introducing mutations. Often, these mutations lead to nothing in particular, the mutations themselves not being viable. According to my trusty Collins, however, "when this change occurs in the gametes, the structure and development of the offspring may be affected."
The DNA molecule is made up of four types of nucleotides identified by the letters, A (adenine), C (cytosine), G (guanine), and T (thymine). In normal DNA replication, the double helix is broken apart (or split) into two single helices by enzymes whose job it is to break the fragile hydrogen bonds that hold the two single strands together. Once separated, new copies of the single helices can be assembled to create two brand new, and usually identical, copies of the original DNA molecule. The reason this is possible is that the component enzymes will only mate or link up with a specific counterpart. A links up only with T, and C links up only with G. Adenine and guanine are "purines", while thymine and cytosine are "pyrimidines".
Being an armchair geneticist (rather than the real thing), I will skip a few steps. Mutations arise when an error in reading or writing occurs during these replications (I make no judgement on whether a mutation will be good or bad). When a purine nucleotide changes into another purine nucleotide, (C to T or T to C) or a pyrimidine into another pyrimidine (A to G or G to A)), we have a transition. Occasionally pyrimidine nucleotides, (C or T) will change into a purine nucleotide, (A or G), or the other way around. This is a transversion.
Transversions tend to lead to more severe mutations than transitions.
Now, I know that Dale Sproule and Sally McBride had a different vision of the name "TransVersions" when they created the magazine. Their definition was something like this . . .
As in the crossing of ideas and storytelling styles, science fiction to horror, and horror to fantasy and all the other possible crossovers of the speculative fiction field.
With the birth of the TransVersions anthology, I cannot help but impress my own perception of what this anthology, and the magazine before it, was and will be.
All that remains to be seen is whether this mutation is viable . . .
Please join me and my co-editor, Sally Tomasevic, as we transform TransVersions into the beautiful anthology you hold in your hand. The stories and poems inside speak with unique voices of ideas given birth in the hearts and minds of many different writers, all of whom we are proud to feature in these pages. Our writers range from new voices, published for the first time in this anthology, to some of the biggest names in the business. Visit our website at www.transversions.com and tell us what you think.
Were you, also, transformed?