Would you get a real tail?

[vrikasatma]

If it's anything like a cat's, flipping and flicking all over the place.

I wonder if we'd have to lower our tails when we're in court or the presence of a high-level government official?

Armed services privates get nailed for insubordination if they held their tails higher than their C.O.s?

[Vuldari]

What? Do you mean like disfugurement by genetic defect?...that would suck, but things like that happen. No use worrying about things you can't controll.

...or did you mean like, I wanted a Fox tail but got a monkey tail or a lions tail instead (or a Peacocks tail...)?

either/or


I was wondering what a human tail would look like if humans had a tail. Would it be covered with hair? Would it be long? Short? fluffy? thin? leathery? We probably have the genes within ourselves. Its just not turned on. If we did turn them on, the mystery of how humans would look with a tail would become reality.


The genes for each animal's tail is different. If it interacted with the human tail genes, you may not get the results you wanted.

True...very true...which is why I said this:

If the technology exsited, I'd shop around and find another option. You know...learn as much as I could about what would be involved, what could go wrong, and then find the right person or group to do it for me.

I would not be the first test subject to find out randomly what would come of it. If I was going to do it, I would want to have a good idea of what to expect before commiting to it.

As for what a pure Human tail (full length and fully developed...not just a stub) would look like...that is a very good question.

I guess one could look at all of our closest tail-bearing genetic cousins in the primate family and examine the tails structure in relation to its body shape and size, then back track our family tree as far as possible to estimate what kind of tails our pre-human anscestors had...and use the evolved primate tails as examples of how our own tails may have evolved, had they not been removed by natrual selection.

My guess is either:

A: It would be a a very short, unintrusive thing like a baboons tail, fleshy and completely covered in hair, but not significantly mobile or useful.

or B: If it stayed, it would have had to be because it served some kind of unique purpose, even to a vertical species. Either as a prehensile grabbing appendage, or as distunguishing visual feature (mostly for attracting potential mates), Like the way female peacocks are attracted to a males brightly colored tailfeathers, or how male humans are often attracted to well developed...umm...*cough*

...anyway...I could definately see how it could have reamained as a purely decorative feature, if evolution had taken a slightly different path, which I think is really the most preferable option, because then it would be logical to assume that a humans tail would have evolved into something that is generally considered "beautiful" to human eyes.


On the other hand, if one were to suggest that we would simply be "activating" the dormant tail genes allready existant in human biology, and bring back the tail our ancient ancestors once had, exactly as it was, that just raises another question. How far back? I doubt there was a sudden generational gap where suddenly parents with tails had children with no tails at all. I imagine that it probobly happened far more gradually, with the form of the tail taking many forms over time, and eventually shortening to a stub that was more of a handycap than an advantage, and so became an advantage to be born with in a stunted form that could be sat on. Therefore, there would be many forms and variations stored in our genes that could possibly surface. Which one would we see?

...of course, I can only hypothosise, since no one was there taking records at the time. Maybe there really was a single freak-mutation tailless ape-human who was the "Adam" of the entire existing human race. (just as some theories tie the enlarged brain size of humans to a single child).

But that's getting into debatable Evolutionary "theory", all of which might be complete bull$*** for all we know, so I'll just say this.

I don't know. ...but it might be facinating to find out, if we could.

[Morkulv]

[Morkulv]

Sounds like most people here could use this site:

http://home.telepath.com/~wanderer/imag ... vices.html

...



rrriiiiiiiigggghhhhhttttttt....


Even if such a thing was actually even possible, I wouldn't want to do it that way.

or pay those ridiculous prices.

hey if it worked good then I would pay that

Yeah, if I had the money I would probably do it to.

Don't misunderstand... I think it would be AWESOME to have a Tail.

...I just don't think I would let those guys give it to me. (pretending for a moment that this company was real).

If the technology exsited, I'd shop around and find another option. You know...learn as much as I could about what would be involved, what could go wrong, and then find the right person or group to do it for me.



...of course...if we are going to go into "what if"s, then I'd really prefer to have it GROW out of me, without surgical intervention, either by genetic or magical stimulation. ...even if the process took an entire year or more to complete itself.

Hehe, yeah I get your point. But I think it will take another 100 years before that will be possible.

[Vuldari]

The pictures posted on the net from humans with tails look more like a shaved canine-tail, and on other pictures more like a monkey-tail. So it doesn't really have to be from primates.

Like I said in one of the possible scenarios...if it had stayed, it likely would have been for decorative puroposes...and that only would happen if it was visually preferable, and generally beautiful from a humans perspective.

...it is entirely possible that, if humans had evolved with tails, then humans with more canine or felinish looking tails could have appeared to be more attractive mates, and therefore could have steered the evolution of the (imaginary) human tail in that aesthetic dirrection.


...ummm...all of the pictures of "human tails" I have seen on the internet have all been far too short and fleshy to be able to compare to anything, not really looking like a canine OR a primates tail...just a little finger-width dongle.

[Vuldari]

Hehe, yeah I get your point. But I think it will take another 100 years before that will be possible.

If ever...

[white]

Hehe, yeah I get your point. But I think it will take another 100 years before that will be possible.

If ever...

100 years? I wouldn't be so sure that it'd take that long at all, at least for the technology necessary to come about; how long until someone tries it is another matter entirely.

[Morkulv]

Just contact some scientists and ask them for yourself.

[Vuldari]

Hehe, yeah I get your point. But I think it will take another 100 years before that will be possible.

If ever...

100 years? I wouldn't be so sure that it'd take that long at all, at least for the technology necessary to come about; how long until someone tries it is another matter entirely.

It depends on what methods and results you are speaking of.

The technology to surgically graft or alter body parts exists now...it is just not very refined. Genetic manipulation on a fully developed living creature (vs. an embrio) is another matter entirely. Even today, scientists are still looking at Cells and DNA and asking themselves, "how the hell does this thing work? I see what it does, but I don't fully understand how or why."

We are a long way yet from writing custom lines of DNA code like a computer program that will do what we want it to...if that is even possible at all.

[white]

It depends on what methods and results you are speaking of.

The technology to surgically graft or alter body parts exists now...it is just not very refined. Genetic manipulation on a fully developed living creature (vs. an embrio) is another matter entirely. Even today, scientists are still looking at Cells and DNA and asking themselves, "how the hell does this thing work? I see what it does, but I don't fully understand how or why."

We are a long way yet from writing custom lines of DNA code like a computer program that will do what we want it to...if that is even possible at all.

True. I'm not referring to any method specifically, though most of my ideas relate to the admittedly little-understood modification of existing genetic structure, possibly combined with nanotech to speed things up.

The technology to do this sort of thing is almost here; what's lacking is the knowledge to use it. However, breakthroughs happen, genuises appear, discoveries are made. We WILL eventually posess the prerequisites; let's just pray we live to see it.

[Silverclaw]

I was wondering what a human tail would look like if humans had a tail. Would it be covered with hair? Would it be long? Short? fluffy? thin? leathery? We probably have the genes within ourselves. Its just not turned on. If we did turn them on, the mystery of how humans would look with a tail would become reality.

When I was younger(and still now once in a while) I'd sometimes dream humans with human tails. They are like horse tails, long hair growing. Same color as head color Gives a whole new meaning to having a 'pony tail' huh?

Lets hope science will allow the growth of tails soon; I grow weary of having a tailless rear

[white]

Hah. I grow weary of having a human body. Beat that

[Silverclaw]

damn...

[vrikasatma]

Not the hands, hermano
No way I'm gonna get tired of those...

[white]

Well, ideally I'd still have vaugely handish things. Gestalt form, anyone?

[Silverclaw]

Gestalt form, anyone?

Oh Yeah!

[Celestialwolf]

Gestalt form, anyone?

Oh! Me! I want I want!

[white]

Hehe. Now all we need to do is wait for nanotech and/or genetic engineering to advance a bit further, then show up en masse at a transformation facility

[PariahPoet]

The only thing is a tail would make sitting awfully uncomfortable since people normally sit with most of their weight on their tailbone.

[Vuldari]

I was wondering what a human tail would look like if humans had a tail. Would it be covered with hair? Would it be long? Short? fluffy? thin? leathery? We probably have the genes within ourselves. Its just not turned on. If we did turn them on, the mystery of how humans would look with a tail would become reality.

When I was younger(and still now once in a while) I'd sometimes dream humans with human tails. They are like horse tails, long hair growing. Same color as head color Gives a whole new meaning to having a 'pony tail' huh?

Lets hope science will allow the growth of tails soon; I grow weary of having a tailless rear

Ha...

A few days ago, I guy walked up to me at work and said "Hey...I love your TAIL"
(he later clarified, "...most men don't wear long hair any more", indicating that he was referring to my 'ponytail' hairstyle.)

I just smiled at him and said "thanks". Even though I knew what he meant, I could not help but have a goofy grin on my face for about an hour afterwards.

[Koshaw]

*plays pin the wolf tail on the Silverclaw*

[Silverclaw]

*plays pin the wolf tail on the Silverclaw*

Laughing

AHH! Pointy pin!
*runs*

[white]

The only thing is a tail would make sitting awfully uncomfortable since people normally sit with most of their weight on their tailbone.

Having to lean forward while seated, or find specially designed chairs, is a small price to pay, I think.

[vrikasatma]

No, the tailbone is further up (trust me, I've been looking at my radiation scans). Most people sit on their seatbones, that's why they're called seatbones.

[Silverclaw]

Never heard of a seatbone before...but I do sit on what I like to call an a**