Annihilation 's 'Shimmer' Genetic Mutations Explained

As a meteorite touches down in a lighthouse, punching through that and deep into the ground, a refractory light emitted from the area and began spreading outwards. As it did, anything it touched, it would begin altering the genome of that creature. But it wasnt just randomly changing, it seems that anything the creature touched or ingested, would become apart of its genome. In todays episode, we will discuss how this happened and what it means for those animals as well!

Thank you for watching Roanoke Gaming and I hope you enjoy Annihilation's "Shimmer" Genetic Mutations Explored | How The Shimmer Integrates Foreign Genomes

**DISCORD, TWITTER LINK, PATREON INFO, AND SECOND CHANNEL LINK BELOW**

Let me tell you about Officer Lena from the Tennessee Poli- I mean Biologist Lena!: 00:00
As always, you guys are chads, thanks for watching: 1:47
Let me explain to you why Lena is a giant turd ferguson who deserved to have her genome destroyed: 2:29
Now that you know the horror, I think youll agree we are officially changing her name to Amy. I dont make the rules I just work here: 27:26
Thanks for watching guys! hope you enjoyed this longer episode!: 52:02

[RoanokeGaming]

I regret to inform you, a 66 impala picture was posted instead of a 67. F's in the chat boys

[Drefsab]

That damn bear is one of the creepiest things I've ever seen in a movie. The fact that you can see a human skull merging with it, and it roars/screams in the dead woman's voice, was genuinely unsettling. Amazing design.

[LuckyRabbit]

The book trilogy _Annihilation_ was loosely based on actually explains what the Shimmer is. It’s basically a living program composed of light energy that can affect matter around it. It was sent by extraterrestrials to remake Earth into a habitable environment for them. In order to do so, however, it first needed to break down the entire planet into a primordial soup so that it could be rebuilt, hence the “fracturing” in Area X. Thing is, the extraterrestrials that originally sent the Shimmer to Earth died out before it even arrived. One of the members of the organization tasked with researching the Shimmer learns this, then allows himself to be absorbed by the Shimmer. Because the Shimmer incorporates everything it absorbs into itself, including knowledge, it then realizes that its mission is now pointless and self-destructs.

So, yeah, the film is right in a way. The Shimmer _isn’t_ like us. It doesn’t think, it doesn’t feel. It’s just a program, a tool, carrying out its intended function.

[ventusthekey]

My favorite theory about the bear is that it's one of the mimics that lost it's original, like Cain. Its been wandering around the shimmer doing things it knows a bear would do, but doesn't fully understand why its doing it. Thats why it kills Shepard but doesn't eat her. It knew a bear should kill but doesn't understand why.

[jakeking]

To be fair, I would think, given how effective a shovel to the face works on both a regular gator AND a shark, the sharkagator would probably just explode.

[TheJigma]

That bear has been lurking in the back of my unconscious mind for about 5 years now

[DuskyPredator]

My understanding after watching was that it was an extra-dimensional entity that was trying to understand its surroundings, which it's mere act of trying to perceive what was around it would scramble those things on a genetic level, and it most actively did so by using mimicry. In the end to start to destroy itself, it might have actually reached an understanding that what it was doing was harmful.

[stinky]

The whole idea of the Shimmer is a lot like H.P. Lovecraft's "The Colour out of Space". Basically the same premise. Weird shimmering meteor crashes in a rural community and starts changing and melding everything and everyone.

[gege]

Fun fact about intestines, they kinda “know” how they are supposed to sit in the body. So if doctors have to move them out the way, they just let the intestines shift back into place. I don’t know if that poor dudes guts got turned to worms, but I personally think that something they ate could’ve messed that up as it physically and genetically changed.

Also, you’re idea to the ending is really cool and interesting… my first thought was that the double was trying to replicate the fire 😂

[brandonschmidt]

They explain in the books but not the movies, that the memory loss is because the psychologist hypnotized all of them to forget or go into autopilot mode when she says certain trigger words to help them manage the trauma of crossing the shimmer

[_GeneralMechanics_]

One more detail of how Lena was assimilated with her teammates in the Shimmer is Anya's tattoo suddenly appearing on her arm, and she doesn't acknowledge it until her interrogation.

[SachoManMandyRavage]

I always assumed that the entity was intelligent and curious. All the changes that occurred were the entity experimenting with the building blocks it now found around it

[jimmymcgill]

i had a bit of a different theory, i thought it self destructed everything because as it took on Lena's DNA it began to absorb her thoughts and feelings, for example Lena wanting to find a way to stop the shimmer so the alien being which essentially now has the same goal stopped the shimmer by burning everything around it and self destructing...

[calypso]

Three things:
1. Great video.
2. The "two soldiers" fused to the pool wall, is actually the one soldier with his intestines worming around, just completely overcome by the growth.
3. "Remember, pig and elephant DNA just won't mix" made my teenage self chuckle

[KrankyKaiju]

The scene of the soldier's insides moving independently *inside* the guy still gives me the willies

[koibutsu]

The fact she didn't mention that genetically they were not human anymore and were shimmers, is that now him and her are there own Adam and eve of a new garden. But are like a virus, mutating and changing hosts into things closer to a shimmer.

[Killbauer]

This is one of the best lovecraftian/cosmic horror movies I've seen in a long time and that damn bear has lived rent free in my mind ever since.

[mannys]

The 2nd bear scene where they're in the house was my most recent "effective" shocking movie shakeup that I've experienced in a few years. Like, it genuinely chilled my spine when the bear came around the corner and I saw that it was all necrotic and deformed, but then it made my hair stand up when it screamed just like the woman. Idk why but that was genuine horror. I watched the movie 3-4 months ago and I STILL feel creeped out imagining it. 🤯 Loved this movie.

[KP-vyro]

I'm so damn happy to finally have someone else who is trained as a EMT Basic or more that knows what should be going down in the back of the ambulance or even how first arrivers on scene of any type go about the process. Just for that alone was refreshing and then I appreciate the depth of breakdown. Now subscribed and can't wait for more from you dude

[thelettucescreams]

With the scene of the guy with moving insides, i always thought it was maybe a tapeworm or other parasite the guy brought in with him that ended up mutating and taking over the body before killing the host and escaping with its new genetic structure.
Loved the scientific analysis as always Roanoke!