Science of Discworld 03: Darwin's Watch by Terry Pratchett

Author:Terry Pratchett [Pratchett, Terry]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2004-12-31T00:00:00+00:00

I'HE SCIENCE OF DISCWORLD

It also indulged in wholesale theft of a virus's genome, to stop mother's immune system booting out baby because it `smelled' of father. And we also get another lesson that DNA isn't selfish. ERV-3 is present in the human genome, but not because it's a bit of junk that gets copied along with everything else and has remained because it does no harm. It's there because, in a very real sense, humans could not survive - could not even reproduce - without it.

TWENTY-ONE

NOUGAT SURPRISE

THE ACTIVITY IN THE GREAT HALL was slowing down now. All along the rainbow lines of time, the nodes were closed. Or shut, or denoded, Rincewind thought. Whatever you did with nodes, anyway.

There was a little cheer as the last glowing wizard symbol faded away, and a roar from outside as three wizards and a lot of tentacles landed in the fountain. Rincewind had been surprised about that, and then dismayed. Since it did not have his name on it, this meant that Ridcully had something worse in mind.

`Looks like I'm not needed now,' he said hopefully, just in case.

'Haha, professor, what a card you are and no mistake,' said the lobster next to him. `The Archchancellor was very definite that we was to keep you here no matter what you said.'

`But I wasn't running away!'

`No, you was only inspecting the wall with the loose bricks in it,' said the lobster.[1] `We quite understand. Lucky for you we caught you before you dropped over into the alley, eh? Could've done yerself a mischief.'

Rincewind sighed. The lobsters were always hard to outrun. They hunted in packs, appeared to share a common brain, and many years

[1] The University's proctors were known as lobsters because they went very red when hot and had a grip that was extremely hard to shake off. They were generally ex-army sergeants, had depths of cynicism unplumbable by any line, and were fuelled by beer.

of harrying erring students had given them a malignant street cunning that verged on the supernatural.

Some of the senior wizards swept in ... There was an argument going on between Ridcully and the Dean.

`I don't see why I shouldn't.'

`Because you get too excited in the presence of combat, Dean. You run around making silly "hut, hut" noises,' said Ridcully. `Remember why we had to stop those paintball afternoons? You didn't seem to be able to get the hang of the term "people on my side".'

`Yes, but this is-'

`It took us a week to get the Senior Wrangler looking halfway suitable for polite company - Ah, Rincewind. Still with us, I see. Good man. Very well, Mr Stibbons: report!'

Ponder coughed.

`Hex confirms that, er, that our recent activities may have left camiloops between our word and Roundworld, Sir. That is to say, residual connections that may be used deliberately or inadvertently from either side. Magic doors, in fact, drifting without anchor. These will evaporate within a matter of days. Um ...'

`I don't want to hear "um", Mr Stibbons. "Um" is not a word we entertain here.

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