I dunno, the DNA was identified as PART alligator, maybe elites evolved from alligators. There are certain similarities there...

This might mean complete gibberish. Just to lurer us away even more.

Lets keep in mind the equation from the last server, too. We spent oodles of time trying to figure out what it was, if it could be solved, and what the meaning of it was in relation to storyline. In the end it was just a book cover. We spent a whole ton of time on something that turned out to be relatively nothing. I think these things are meant just to keep us busy but aren't meant to be looked at under microscopes. Once server 5 opens up we'll problably see what the point of it is.

some interesting things i found about the 5 amino acids that differentiate the genome from the alligators:

All of them are of the 20 most commone found on Earth... which I guess should be obvious... but I thought I would note it since Wiki makes it a point that they are found "on Earth". They all also seem to have something to do with neural signals.

Valine (caa → guu):

didn't find too much about this one, other than:
"As an essential amino acid, valine is not synthesized in animals, hence it must be ingested"

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Asparagine (ttg → aac):

"The nervous system needs asparagine to maintain the equilibrium, as well as in amino acid transformation."
I thought that was interesting since the Flood need and take over the nervous system.

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Proline (gga → ccu):

"...the hydroxylation of proline is a critical biochemical process for maintaining the connective tissue of higher organisms."
Sentient ones...?

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Glutamic acid (ctt → gaa):

"Glutamate is the most abundant fast excitatory neurotransmitter in the mammalian nervous system."

Again, the Flood need the nervous system.

"Glutamate transporters are found in neuronal and glial membranes. They rapidly remove glutamate from the extracellular space. In brain injury or disease, they can work in reverse and excess glutamate can accumulate outside cells."

...seemed interesting... can anyone elaborate?

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Serine (agc → ucg):

"...nerve gases (a class of phosphorus-containing organic chemicals that disrupt the mechanism by which nerves transfer messages to organs. The disruption is caused by blocking acetylcholinesterase, an enzyme that normally relaxes the activity of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter) have been shown to act by combining with a residue of serine in the active site of acetylcholine esterase, inhibiting the enzyme completely"

This I thought was the most interesting. It seems as if it could be related to how the Flood takes over its host.

"D-serine, synthesized by serine racemase from L-serine, serves as a neuronal signaling molecule by activating NMDA receptors (an ionotropic receptor for glutamate) in the brain"

...to me, again, can be related to how the Flood take over a host


Anyone wanna build on any of this?

BootsMcGavin, that information does look like something we would do well to remember. I still don't see any clues in there that might lead us to something new, but that does seem to solidify the idea that the genome we're looking at is, indeed, a Chinese Floodigator.

Would alligators be considered sentient, though? I mean, I guess they do see, feel, hear, taste, and smell... so I guess...

I go back to a post I made earlier, that that genome is not that of an alligator, simply due to the fact taht it says "anomalous correlation negative" ...meaning that it doesn't fit in any typical class. I just don't understand why it's so close to that of the alligator...

I again will state that I believe most of the information in these Servers are not simply clues to open up another server. There's too much mystery and too much foreshadowing in the story line. That's why I'm bringing them up

I get the impression that the Forerunners sampled a whole bunch of life, clearly from Earth and possibly from other places too and that this is just one sample. Server 5 told us that there is something special about Earth but I doubt the 'gator is that.

Going into the meta for a bit, given that its been said that Alligators and the like haven't changed much since the Triassic days it makes sense that Bungie would choose to use the known dna for such a beast to offer some semblance of accurately when representing ancient life rather than try and make up some dna for a 100,000 year old bunny rabbit

Just a few strands of DNA drastically change an organism, we are genetically not very different from flies.