Other topics: Lexicon, Metagene, Mutant, Tunguska Event.
Mysterious and ever-evolving, the metagene is a legacy of what is now believed to have been a DNA-altering xenovirus spread throughout the world by the fallout of the 1908 Tunguska blast. It is theorized that it took less than a year for the Earth's entire population to become infected, after which the virus began the laborious task of altering humanity's genetic code. By the late 1930s the virus had completed it's task and the first generation (designated "alpha") metagene was born. In the vast majority of humanity, the gene remains dormant and harmless. Those in whom the metagene becomes active ("metahumans") have the tendency to develop unusual abilities (popularly called "super powers"). This activation of the metagene may occur on its own or, in a few cases, via artificial stimulation. Those rare few who gain super abilities artificially are termed "mutants."
The "powers" the metagene endows vary, including enhanced physical attributes (strength, speed, toughness), the ability to spontaneously generate/project various forms of energy, the power of flight, and other unusual talents. It allows limited psionic ability such as telempathy, telekinesis, and forms of mental attack, but not the power to truely read minds. Likewise, metahumans have yet to be able to teleport, shapeshift, become insubstantial, grow more than twice their size or control the elements. However, with the recent appearance of the "delta" metagene and the resulting "Exotics" and "Freaks" (see below) it is believed by some researchers that this may change.
The awakening of the metagene may occur anytime from late adolescence to early adulthood, sometimes when the individual suffers a traumatic experience. No known case has been uncovered of a metagene naturally activating in any individual younger than 16 years or older than 28 years of age. Physical side effects associated with a naturally awakened metagene are rare, and tend toward discoloration of the hair or skin. More harmful physical side effects are very rare. Psychological side effects are more frequent, though still unusual. Paranoia, megalomania, feelings of invincibility and a host of other mental conditions have been known to occur and are under study at this time. Studies have indicated that children born of couples where either one or both parents possess a naturally active metagene are no more likely to develop it themselves. Such studies are still classed as inconclusive and research continues in this area.
To some within the scientific community of the 1940s, the advent of a gene that could boost one's abilites far beyond "normal" humans meant that great leaps in the fields of science and technology were just over the horizon. Surely it was only a matter of time before the metagene bestowed upon someone a "super intellect." However, no case of the metagene increasing a person's intelligence has ever been uncovered. Doctor Henry Madsen spoke for other early researchers when he said, "It'll let you fly, stop bullets, and lift a Packard, but it won't make you smarter."
Russian researchers in the early 1950's came to the conclusion that the manifestation of "superior human abilities" in metahumans was psi-based, with the specific abilities one became endowed with originating from the individual's subconscious. Shortly thereafter, scientists in the U.S. (among them former Nazi researchers) came to the same conclusion. They pointed to cases of metahumans who used otherwise ordinary objects as a focus for one or more of their abilities. Such individuals they said, exhibited a psychological limitation that interfered with the use of their power (in this case, an unnecessary dependence on an object as a "focus" for their abilities). It is from these early studies that the prevailing theory of metahuman powers being "all in the mind" arose.
One area currently being studied is the effect of age on an individual's metahuman abilities. Preliminary research indicates that such powers may likely decrease as the individual ages. In correlation with previous findings, it appears to be the state of the person's mind that ultimately determines the rate and extent of the loss. The rare but sudden loss of metahuman abilities in otherwise healthy individuals continue to baffle researchers, some saying the condition being purely psychological. Others disagree, pointing out the possibility of the metagene returning to a "dormant" state. However, with still so little known about the mysterious gene, such theories stand with little real supporting evidence.
Historians note that since the birth of "metahumanity," the abilities exhibited by metahumans have become more varied and powerful with each new generation. The metahuman ability to fly (a form of telekinesis) is more commonplace today than it was in the 1940's. The number of individuals able to spontaneously project energy (kinetic or electrical) has likewise increased since that time. Some researchers believe that this phenomenon's purely psychological on the part of modern day metahumans, a byproduct of a technologically advancing society. Others believe it's due to the continueously-evolving metagene. Both sides agree however that as long as the number of metahumans increases, their role in contemporary society will continue to evolve.
In the last few years metahumans with unusual appearances, generally in the form of discolored hair, skin or eyes, have begun to appear. These are more likely to possess new or unusual powers, but such possession is still uncommon. They're actually grouped into two camps; the "Exotics" whose physical alterations and/or discolorations enhance their physical beauty, and the "Freaks" who possess a grotesque appearance. The phenomenon is attributed to what is believed to be a new generation of the metagene, "delta." Though the occurrence of Exotics/Freaks is still unusual (less than 5% of "delta" generation metahumans) more are expected to appear as the metagene evolves.