Special Containment Procedures: Due to the nature of SCP-6942, total containment is unfeasible and carries high risk of a BM-Class ("Broken Masquerade") Scenario. As such, priority is given to the containment of SCP-6942-1 instances in regions with high biodiversity. Containment Zones are to be established in these regions under the guise of national parks, nature reserves, or private land owned by Foundation shell companies.
Drones are to be deployed from Foundation outposts within Containment Zones to locate, identify, and contain any potential SCP-6942-1 instances. Unauthorised civilians who have come into contact with SCP-6942-1 instances are to be administered Class-C amnestics. Academic and governmental institutions are to be monitored for any signs of awareness of SCP-6942-1 instances, and embedded elements are to suppress any such signs identified. Foundation web crawlers are to delete any publications, reports, or eyewitness accounts of SCP-6942-1 instances.
UPDATE: As of 23/08/2021, presymptomatic paragenetic testing is to be conducted on as many human beings as possible while maintaining the veil of normalcy. Autonomous microdrones are to be used to obtain sources of paragenetic information, such as skin cell samples, from human beings to test for the presence of any and all mutatory paragenes.
Instances of SCP-6942-1 of congenital origin are to be contained as soon as possible, while instances of epigenetic origin are to be monitored for signs of transition to SCP-6942-2, or any indication of reproductive activity. Under instruction from the Ethics Committee, the use of amnestics on human SCP-6942-1 instances of congenital origin has been deemed excessive and poses an unnecessary developmental risk towards infants, and has thus been suspended. Epigenetic human SCP-6942-1 instances are to be sterilized via microdrone injections of Compound P618-Lilith.
Description: SCP-6942 is an ongoing paramutatory process of multicellular life on planet Earth. SCP-6942-1 collectively refers to all instances of life that have developed anomalous traits via either natural or induced paramutation, congenital or otherwise. These instances may exhibit anomalous properties from birth or after maturity in the case of congenital SCP-6942-1 instances, while epigenetic SCP-6942-1 instances carry typically unexpressed paragenes that may be inherited by their offspring.
SCP-6942-1 instances are fully capable of producing anomalous offspring, however the traits inherited by these secondary SCP-6942-1 instances have been observed to be inconsistent with that of its parent instance. Further research into the principles of paragenetic inheritance are currently ongoing.
Addendum 6942-α
Discovery and Paragene Briefing
SCP-6942 was first identified in Papua New Guinea, following the discovery of anomalous beetle populations in Mt. Wilhelm National Park. These beetles, the first identified instances of SCP-6942-1, were originally classified as SCP-6942. Following the development of paragenetic research, it was confirmed that the anomalous traits of SCP-6942-1 instances are derived from complex paragene combinations. These combinations are the result of paramutation, a process that does not take place in baseline organisms, which have static paragene combinations.
Convergent paramutation has occurred across numerous clades, resulting in anomalous teratological traits appearing within the gene pools of several taxonomic families. A majority of these anomalous traits are anatomical, such as, but not limited to: the production of anomalous compounds or materials within organs or abnormally efficient or inefficient biological processes. More significant anomalous traits include, but are not limited to: abnormally high strength-to-weight ratios, altered intrinsic Hume levels, cognitohazardous and/or antimemetic properties, psychokinetic abilities, and sapience. The expression of a paragene is not limited by the physical or biological capabilities of the organism it is found in, and has been recorded to culminate in the expiration of the instance.
The effects of SCP-6942 are, at this time, most noticeably amongst insect groups and other r-selected species, due to paragenetic recombination and other factors that determine inherited paragenes, however it has been found that SCP-6942 may randomly occur at variable rates in baseline organisms. It is currently believed that SCP-7552, SCP-7983, and SCP-8460 are derived from the processes of SCP-6942. Reclassification of these anomalies as SCP-6942-1 instances are under consideration.
Processes within SCP-6942-1 populations analogous to those such as adaptive radiation, symmetrical and asymmetrical arms races, and coevolution have been recorded, culminating in a wide variety of specialized characteristics and interspecific interactions. Strong evidence exists to suggest that the baseline genome may be heavily altered in certain SCP-6942-1 instances.
Addendum 6942-β
Containment Efforts
Containment Zones have been established in regions where this has occurred, in order to monitor the local animal populations for signs of paragenetic mutation. A total of 143 such Containment Zones exist worldwide, largely concentrated in biodiverse areas, where SCP-6942-1 instances are most commonly found. Tracking devices are implanted in a majority of SCP-6942-1 instances, while more hostile instances are relocated to secure Sites for heavier containment. A log is kept for all identified SCP-6942-1 instances for archival purposes.
Minor paragenetic mutations have been observed in human populations in the East African Federation, Papua New Guinea, and the State of Brasil, localized within villages and remote settlements, Foundation agents managed to contain congenital instances of SCP-6942-1 for purposes of quarantine, observation, and further paragenetic research. Application of amnestics and false memories have been utilized to contain public awareness of SCP-6942-1 instances.
Models of horizontal paragene transfer between epigenetic instances and baseline organisms provide an explanation for a rapid increase in the generation of congenital SCP-6942-1 instances.
UPDATE: As of 30/11/2020, numerous SCP-6942-1 instances have been reassigned as SCP-6942-2. SCP-6942-2 instances are capable of rewriting their genome via a specific set of paragenes, with the expression of new genes and paragene combinations occurring in a highly energy-demanding process spanning a period of time on the order of days. Observation of these instances within Containment Zones indicate extreme behavioral and physiological changes, such as prey species developing predatorial adaptations and feeding strategies.
The deeper we dig, the more concerning the similarities between genetics and paragenetics become. We can only imagine how many niches exist on this planet for paragenetic anomalies to fill. We cannot possibly monitor them all.
SCP-6942 has been ongoing for decades, at the very least. We've observed SCP-6942-1 instances in select species moreso by the virtue of their reproductive rates, as opposed to random paramutation. Lim's already run the numbers. We can expect anomalous humans entering the gene pool en masse by the 2030s, and that's assuming actual paramutation will follow models and projections.
- Dr. Blom
UPDATE: As of 19/12/2020, interspecific horizontal paragene transfer has been recorded, in which different species of SCP-6942-1 may exchange paragene combinations via contact or exposure. The exact mechanisms involved in this process are still under research, however most of the proposed theories involve some degree of conjugation analogous to the baseline process involving plasmids.
Addendum 6942-γ
Incidents and Containment Breaches
As containment of congenital human SCP-6942-1 instances has taken priority over that of their epigenetic counterparts, numerous complaints have been raised by the Ethics Committee and several Site administrative staff.
The rapid acceleration of SCP-6942 has resulted in several major containment breaches at various Containment Zones, with increasingly destructive and conspicuous consequences. Since the reclassification of SCP-6942, at least 300 separate incidents of SCP-6942-1 instances interacting with civilians have been recorded, ranging from sightings to direct attacks. Urban centers and agricultural areas have been designated as high risk areas, primarily due to the nutrition stocks present within them.
SCP-6942 has since come under the notice of several Groups of Interest, such as the Global Occult Coalition, which has personnel involved in the containment of SCP-6942 as per Agreement 6942-Bogota; Marshall, Carter, and Dark Ltd, known to be in possession of multiple SCP-6942-1 instances; and the Serpent's Hand, which has repeatedly attempted to raid Containment Zones to procure SCP-6942-1 instances.
Addendum 6942-𝛿
Paramutation, or paragenetic mutation, was thought to be a characteristic of one or more paragenes within SCP-6942-1 instances. As of 31/08/2022, this has found to be partially incorrect. Foundation parageneticists and biologists believe that at some point in recent history on the order of decades, a macroparamutatory event occurred that affected the paragenomes of all life on Earth, such that they now followed fundamental principles more closely aligned to that of baseline evolution. As such, the Foundation has designated this event as a PSK-Class ("Paradigm Shift") Event.
Note: As of today, we're suspending paragene therapy research. Indefinitely. We've come so far in paragenetics, only to stopped by a simple principle.
Regardless of what we do, however many paragenomes we restructure, however many organisms we sterilize, however many more we kill, SCP-6942 will eat its way out of whatever box we put it in. It is a universal acid. Just when we think we understand it, some landshark or giant worm proves us completely wrong. It will rear its abominable head in the last place you'd think to look. Hell, I received a report yesterday about how a Foundation probe found several cows munching regolith on the goddamn Moon.
SCP-6942 is evolution, evolving. Nature took a good hard look at everything wrong within the universe and decided to imitate it. We cannot contain a fundamental concept of life and expect normalcy to be maintained. Every day, a new horror comes out of the paragenetic lottery.
We still have no idea where this sprang out from, or when it came about, but I'm beginning to think that SCP-6942 has been a long time coming. I'm finalizing the proposal for Project Caesura, pending submission to the O5 Council tomorrow.
- Dr. Blom
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