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| + | {{Infobox short story |
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| + | |author = [[Harry Turtledove]] |
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| + | |pub_date = October 2005 |
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| + | |image = Analog Oct2005.jpg |
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| + | |ImageSize = 180px |
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| + | |first appearance = Analog |
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| + | |collected = [[Atlantis and Other Places]]}} |
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"'''The Genetics Lecture'''" is a short story by [[Harry Turtledove]] which originally appeared in the October 2005 issue of ''Analog'' as its "Probability Zero" feature and reprinted in ''[[Atlantis and Other Places]]'' in 2010. |
"'''The Genetics Lecture'''" is a short story by [[Harry Turtledove]] which originally appeared in the October 2005 issue of ''Analog'' as its "Probability Zero" feature and reprinted in ''[[Atlantis and Other Places]]'' in 2010. |
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Revision as of 20:06, 2 October 2011
| "The Genetics Lecture" | |
|---|---|
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| Author | Harry Turtledove |
| First Appearance | Analog |
| Collected | Atlantis and Other Places |
| Publication date | October 2005 |
"The Genetics Lecture" is a short story by Harry Turtledove which originally appeared in the October 2005 issue of Analog as its "Probability Zero" feature and reprinted in Atlantis and Other Places in 2010.
Set in a university genetics classroom, the story is a relatively straight discussion of genetics until Turtledove introduces specific details of the characters. In an interesting twist, one student asks his professor if it is possible that intelligent life could have evolved from something other than mollusks. The professor, whose name is revealed as Cthulhu, upbraids his student, Nyarlathotep, tapping one of his eight tenticles on the desk for emphasis.
The story is brief, but Turtledove makes the most its length. The reader is lulled into a sense of security, as the professor explains in the importance of Hox genes. Then abruptly, Turtledove pulls the rug out from under the reader. To add to the fun, Turtledove pays homage to the most famous creation of H.P. Lovecraft by naming the characters after Cthulhu and Nyarlathotep, two of Lovecraft's monsterous creations.
