Talk:Mutations and their causes

From The Vault

I may be wrong, but are Deathclaws the result of military sponsered bio-engeering? They shouldn't be under "Radiation," but instead somewhere else if I am correct.

Deathclaws were not created by the military. They only modified existing deathclaws to make them intelligent. Mimir 04:27, 12 Feb 2005 (GMT)

I could have sworn I read somewhere (I checked the FO Bibles too) that Deathclaws were a mutation of some form of American Tazmanian Devil-type of critter, but I couldn't find it. Here's what the FO2 Strategy Guide says, however:

Deathclaws were originally created to replace humans during close-combat search-and-destroy missions. They were derived from mixed animal stock and then refined by the Master, using genetic manipulation.

From that description I assume that they were created by the military before the war, then mutated further from the resulting background radiation. The Master then decided to tinker with them some more by giving them FEV baths in the vats. --Senornacho 07:35, 12 Feb 2005 (GMT)

They were mutated from chameleons. Ausir 22:14, 13 Feb 2005 (GMT)

Aradesh, Shady Sands Leader - Fallout 1: aradesh.msg When using "ask about" for Deathclaws: {260}{Ara_58}{Yes, yes. yes. It is a rumor of a monster created during the War.}

Joseph, the herbalist (Found in Vault 13 think, a healer amongst the Deathclaws who's there of his own free will) - Fallout 2: ocjoseph.msg {146}{}{Well, let's see... Deathclaws appear to be mutated Jackson's Chameleons, the horned variety. There are a lot of similarities still present, but an even greater number of differences. The mutation factor is quite high. This species is highly intelligent, about the equivalent of an eight-year-old, with some individuals reaching human normal level. Their learning capacity is very high and they are capable of abstract thought and reasoning.}

It should be noted that Joseph is talking of Fallout 2 "talking" Deathclaws. Arguably there wouldn't be much difference between those in FO1 and FO2 but in my mind they were manipulated genetically by a "military force" (In FO2's case by the Enclave). They may have started out as chameleons but I *think* it was deliberate genetic manipulation that has led to their status today (IE: Not a random FEV event or mutation caused by the bombs). I didn't think the Master had anything to do with the Deathclaws (I can find no dialogue to that affect and it also makes little sense - given they're the most powerful creatures in the wastes, why aren't they used in defending the Master's lair?).

FalloutWikiOp 08:49, 15 Feb 2005 (GMT) (DarkUnderlord)

Disagree with the description of ghouls, and provide alternative description. First of all, what evidence is there that "most" Vault 12 residents have turned into ghouls? Second, it's true that by the time Fallout started, all ghouls are very old. But perhaps they are a minority, and their regenerative capabilities and/or life longetivity are random mutations? Third, ghouls are named so after the extensive tissue damage they've suffered as the result of their rediation exposure, combined with phenotype mutations that took over the decades they were alive. That doesn't contradict the real-life radiation phenomena, as there's no good evidence, in my opinion, that ghouls' appearance is the standard effect radiation has on people in Fallout world's. --161.88.255.139 19:15, 28 Jul 2005 (CEST)

Wait a minute, the intelligent deathclaw leader Gruthar explicitly telsl you that they were created with FEV, but they can breed, because Gruthar sired baby deathclaws by the current mother. Oh....hello thing that noone else noticed. So, I guess FEV only causes sterility in humans? 71.98.189.118 07:39, 14 June 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Different radiation

It wasn't stated anywhere in Fallout games that physics in this universe are different. That claim sound more like speculation, rather than the actual canonical fact. 89.110.20.58 17:23, 14 January 2009 (UTC)

Quite frankly, the fact that Fallout's radiation turns people into super-powered mutants instead of corpses is proof enough of this. Keebalicious 04:36, 16 May 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Enclave mutation policy

Not sure about the fit of this in this article. Perhaps it would be better in the introductory part as a minor comment on the different definitions of a 'mutant.' The article really just discusses the obviously mutated creatures, so it would be nice to point out that according to the Enclave almost all humans are actually suffering from anomalies due to exposure to airborne FEV and radition or similar. Want to get some opinions before I make the edit. Ishotamaninnewreno 08:41, November 10, 2009 (UTC)