| Protogenetics | |
|---|---|
 Secondary technology of Tier N/A | |
| Science | 1820 
|
| Requires | N/A |
| Leads to | None |
| Affinity |
+32 |
| Buildings enabled | None |
| Improvements enabled | None |
| Satellites enabled | N/A |
| Units enabled | N/A |
| Notes |
Improves the |
- "The easiest way to win the game is to write the rules."
- Hutama, We Shall All Prosper
History[ | ]
Although the role of RNA in the synthesis of proteins was hypothesized as early as 1939 AD, the effort to unlock the secrets of RNA molecules began in earnest in the 1950s on Old Earth. Upon the discovery of retroviruses and reverse transcriptase, research accelerated phenomenally and in short order introns were unlocked, giving scientists the ability to engage in RNA splicing, the first step in the field of protogenetics. In RNA splicing, the introns are removed and exons joined – genetic engineering at its most basic level. Since RNA conveys the genetic information that directs the catalytic biologic reactions at the cellular level, modifying these can dramatically alter the function and/or operation of an organism. While some colonial geneticists focused on the DNA strands in efforts to engineer new species, others sought instead to modify the already existing ones through protogenetic RNA manipulation.