The lab was fairly quiet as Maurice was looking through various samples of hir own blood. All of this was part of the efforts to refine the Retrovirus Vaccine. Most of the world's victims of the various outbreaks had requested the new vaccine to become human again, but thanks to concerns that the elderly might not survive the reversion to their real physical age and the issues related turning kids, particularly kids who had been born as Kats, human seemed to be a violation of their ability to choose and thus they wouldn't get the Retrovirus Vaccine. Maurice knew the law would never change with regard to the choices kids could make and that they'd have to wait until they were eighteen to decide to remain Kats or become human again (or become human for the first time). The only one that could be fixed was with the elderly. Maurice didn't like it personally and would prefer to keep as many Kats as possible, but at the same time, shi couldn't force others to desire something they didn't want. Many who had been older had voiced the desire to be human again, but wouldn't push because of the fact that the Retrovirus Vaccine removed the youthful feeling that all Kats had with their extremely slow rate of aging.
"Anything interesting, dear?" Snowy asked as shi came up to hir mate, softly petting Maurice's wings.
The Hybrikat only shrugged, "Nothing abnormal, which I suppose is a good sign."
"And our blood is to refine the Retrovirus Vaccine?" Snowy asked.
"Not the blood itself... but certain elements of our genetic code that would be in it," Maurice answered, "I was talking with Candice Wolf, and shi had the comment that there has to be something in our genetic make-up that determines our rate of aging being the same rate as humans from conception to age eighteen and then slows to roughly one year for every twelve years we're alive. Some genetic marker that reacts when we reach a certain age and affects our aging."
Snowy slowly rubbed hir muzzle and then nodded, "and if we can attach that genetic code to the Retrovirus Vaccine... they'll become human, but it won't retrograde that "aging gene" and they'll retain their youth..."
Maurice nodded at Snowy's use of a more simplistic term for it.
"They'll also likely keep a Kat's rate of aging," Maurice agreed and then chuckled, "they'll then easily win contests for the oldest human."
Maurice then took one vial of hir blood set in one of the sampling devices in the lab. They had been used to map the genetic codes of Kats, and they had so far found quite a lot of information. They found that all Kats had the same number of chromosomes, which allowed Kats based off of animal type to mate with Kats of another animal type and still be genetically compatible. Ryles and Casey had long since proven this with their children, but the discovery had at least confirmed it. They also confirmed that Kats had the same number of chromosomes as humans, which had been proved when some Human/Kat pairings had produced children. So far though, they had yet to isolate the genetic code that was an indicator of age. Much of it was because of the different theories on aging and that the exact RNA and DNA sequence hadn't been fully identified in humans yet.
Snowy nodded, "So we're looking for anything that would be an indicator?"
"Anything genetically that would give some sign of changes in cell division or the healing of anything..." Maurice gave a sigh.
Snowy only sighed and looked through as the genetic line in Maurice's blood began to roll up on a computer screen. Shi recognized the codes that came from the Lynx and whatever Rhamphorhynch fossil DNA they had that gave Maurice hir new wings and hir long spade tipped tail. Midnight and Talia had been giving Maurice flying lessons when they have time, but they had also found that Maurice was better at gliding than truly flying, and presently with Maurice's womb swelling in hir second pregnancy, those lessons were on hold. Looking to Maurice's womb, Snowy felt proud and felt hir love grow greater, and shi ran a hand along the swell of Maurice's womb. The baby had been conceived to give them a shot to help Snowflake since their eldest children's breasts were only just developing at the time. Though that child was now with Midnight and Talia, and Snowy and Maurice were left with a new baby of their own on the way. The child, was still wanted, as Maurice could feel all the excitement of being pregnant that Kats seemed to have.
Maurice was about to respond when the clopping of hooves on the tiles was heard behind them. Both turned to see Candice Wolf coming up at a gallop. She had piece of paper in hir hands as shi approached.
"Candice?" Maurice asked.
"Working on the same thing, I see," Candice commented.
"Well... it was your idea," Maurice reminded hir.
Candice nodded, "and I've been looking through some of the genetic make up of the nematode C. elegans that you have and with some of the earlier samples blood samples you took."
"Did you find anything?" Snowy asked.
Candice gave a smile and nodded, "Yes, yes, I did. It took a lot of work with one of your other sample collection scanners as the nematode went through its life... it took SEVERAL tries, but I was able to isolate the RNA and DNA strands that control Reproductive Cell production and the wearing out of that production and the thus dyosis of it."
Candice then held up the sheet of paper and both Maurice noted a specific strain that was high lighted.
"That's..." Maurice began.
"That's the "aging gene" in the nematode C. elegans," Candice answered, "and using its location... I was able to look in roughly the same area in yours..."
Candice then revealed that shi was actually holding TWO sheets of paper.
"And this," Candice said, holding out the other, "is the aging genes in Kats. It was a little tough to pinpoint all of it, because both the "minor" age rate and the "adult" age rate are there... but I did find it."
Maurice took the sheet and looked at it, "and you think this will work?"
"I'd be my life on it," Candice smiled.
Maurice then nodded and saw some hope in the future for fully atoning for hir mistakes and thus finish restoring those in Fee City and giving more the ability to make the choice to being a Kat. It was something shi and Snowy had learned in the aftermath of the Fee City outbreak. Choices were important, and their mistakes and all the outbreaks took the choices of people away. Maurice didn't like a lot of it, but shi would be giving people their choices back, and Maurice did respect that.
"We'd best see how well this will work," Maurice than commented.