Board Thread:Warhammer 40k General Discussion/@comment-4851119-20140118095944/@comment-86.190.171.142-20150101173651

Not everything in a 'non-canon' book is wrong though...the Imperial Fists still sail about across a variety of recruitment worlds, including Necromunda and on the Phalanx. They still wear Yellow armour and still use the pain glove in aspects of their training. These aspects still are confirmed in other, canon sources.

I've never said that the marines of a given chapter wouldn't share enough similar genetic material to be seperated from another chapter's if DNA were compared. Even using old, simple, few bases chemistry that is possible. But what they are not is practically or actual clones.

I'd liken the entire situation to how in a given geographical area, certain genetic traits are more common, like certain surnames are. E.g. Scotland does actually have a disproportionately higher level of ginger hair. Not everyone is ginger but more so than (If I recall correctly) any where in the world, per capita. Genetic testing can trace the linearage of a person back generations, as Eastern Europeans etc can have a 'look' about them, dark hair, blue eyes etc etc that marks them out from Southern European or indeed Northern. These might not express themselves phyically but on a genetic level, they are still their, but repressed due to a overal dilution (or not) of their genes due to breeding with others. As these population sizes are much much larger and much much longer established than the histroy of a Space Marine Chapters use of Gene Seed, then from a genetic point of view, the same levels of genetic drift and similarities would be expected to be seen.

Neithan02, I suggest that you read more books about REAL things, to help you understand alittle more about how FICTIONAL things work, as they tend feed off each other and FICTIONAL things tend to use REAL things to fill the gaps, allowing them to focus on adding cool FICTIONAL things into stuff that happens anyway. Example...A marine will carry extra pouches with ammo etc in, This is based in REAL life, they books might just describe it as from some fancy FICTIONAL animals skin, but the type of draw/pull etc or even that they are likely inserted up side down, with a small finger loop around them to aid pulling out (REAL technique) is likely glossed over as no one cares about it, in terms of progession of the plot.

Just so you are following, Game Workshop and Space Marines are FICTIONAL in that example. The satirical reply is REAL.