SCP-1169
Lamarck's Giraffe
Special Containment Procedures
SCP-1169 is kept in an air-tight steel protective container with shaped foam rubber padding to prevent damage. SCP-1169 is to be treated as biohazardous material. All subjects contaminated by SCP-1169-1 and all resulting offspring are to be terminated and incinerated as biologically hazardous material after useful observations have been exhausted. Assignment preference will be given to staff who are irreversibly infertile.
Description
SCP-1169 is a large glass storage vessel containing a fetal (estimated to be in the 13th month of gestation at time of preservation) Giraffa camelopardalis preserved in formaldehyde. Container includes a glass lid and rubber gasket held closed by a lever mechanism typical of Mason jars, although no brand markings are present. Gasket and metal are both heavily age deteriorated. The preserved specimen shows no genetic abnormalities but features several internal and external deformities; most notably a much shorter neck than is typical for Giraffa camelopardalis at the presumed stage of development.
The preserving fluid (designated SCP-1169-1) includes several unusual impurities, including traces of platinum, tungsten, human insulin, and three unidentifiable organic compounds (see Document 1169-1-Lambda for spectrographic analysis). Despite otherwise possessing the same evaporation and freezing properties of standard formaldehyde, SCP-1169-1 evaporates at a constant rate until it reaches a uniform concentration of 250 PPM in the surrounding atmosphere. This process is unaffected by ambient temperature or pressure within limits testable without damage to SCP-1169. The volume of SCP-1169-1 does not decrease due to evaporation or samples removed.
If inhaled or allowed to remain in prolonged contact, SCP-1169-1 will quickly be absorbed into the circulatory system of all plants and animals and will accumulate in the reproductive organs (testes, ovaries, fruiting buds, etc.). SCP-1169-1 does not dissipate from organic systems naturally and can not be artificially removed short of surgical excision of the reproductive organs. Anomalous effects will be demonstrated in all subsequent offspring, with severity determined by concentration of SCP-1169-1 present in the parent's tissues during gestation.
Stage 1, 15-75 PPM: Features of the contaminated parent will be overwhelmingly dominant in the offspring, despite genetic differences typical of parent and child. Offspring have a high probability (80% of all observed cases) of being the same gender as the contaminated parent, with a similar chance of developing any congenital defects observed in the parent. Mature offspring strongly resemble the parent at a similar age.
Stage 2, 75-120 PPM: Offspring will be physically identical to the contaminated parent at any given stage of development. All congenital defects and phenotype expressions are exactly reproduced to beyond testable limits. Note, parent and child are not genetically identical, instead showing the expected distribution of genes from both parents; but genes from the unexposed parent are not expressed. This can lead to cases where the offspring is genetically female, but physically and functionally male or vice versa.
Stage 3, 120-180 PPM: As in Stage 2, with additional physical anomalies developing in the offspring over time. Offspring will spontaneously develop any and all physical changes that the parent experienced at a comparable stage of development. Offspring will experience unprovoked and untreatable necrosis to match an amputated limb, spontaneous ruptures of the skin and flesh which when healed exactly match parental scar patterns, and atypical shifts in skin pigmentation resulting in reproduction of tattoos. Offspring will express the same fingerprints, retinal patterns, and other biometric indicators as the parent. Any kinesthetically learned skills will also be transferred from parent to child, but more cerebrally developed proficiencies are not. I.E. Subject D-1169-48 was a skilled concert pianist, her offspring D-1169-48-b was able to proficiently perform "Moonlight Sonata" after being provided with a recording, but was not able to interpret the associated sheet music even under extreme duress. Skills learned by the parent after conception are not duplicated.