| Source Animal |
Memory Urchins are the decomposer of the ecosystem. While decomposing dead animals, their cells endocytose DNA of the dead animals and connect those to their DNA. Eventually, they have a massive DNA molecule for each cell. Most of the genetic sequences they have acquired are not active and just stored in their nucleus. However, some sequences get activated by a scarce chance and develop into new functions of the creature. Their complicated and diverse textures and colors are the product of these random activations of their acquired genetic information.
The urchins only reproduce asexually by budding. But that doesn’t mean that they are not diverse because the urchins always mutate themselves by collecting DNA from dead animals. This makes them highly adaptable to an unstable environment. When they reproduce, the genetic information that they gathered from the dead animals is also copied and distributed. Consequently, they are a vast archive of genetic information of the animal species that once had lived on the island. Humans cherish the urchins. Even though humans lost control and authority over the island, they haven’t forgotten their aim of making a living archive. Once discovering that the urchins accumulate the genetic information of the animals in their nucleus, human’s main duty is to preserve those records by protecting urchins. In return, the urchins make fruit-like-tissues containing DNA and buds those off. Humans take it and use their flesh to read the genetic record by analyzing DNA and use its fluorescent shell for making garments and accessories. |