The Gene we all Share

Find a mutation & you've found an ancient species

There’s a gene all living organisms on Earth share.

16s ribosomal RNA.

It mutates on the scale of eons. Discovering a different 16s rRNA means discovering a new species. It allows us to classify organisms into different species.

It’s like using the “last name” of an organism to classify them rather than bogged down by other details.

These genes mutate through environmental changes. As climate, food, ecology, and geography change, the gene mutates to help the organism adapt to the environment.

It’s a snapshot of the past while giving a glimpse of the future.

Storytelling is the gene we all share.

The earliest recorded storytelling technique was in Aristotle's Poetics.

He created these for plays & live theater. We still use them today. Pity, Fear, Catharsis. A Beginning. Middle. End.

They established the importance of theme, character, and character development.

We mutated to more forms of storytelling as books were widely published.

Now the storytelling happened on the page. Myths, novellas, and short stories adopted a storytelling style focused on journey and transformation. Joseph Campbell calls it the Hero's Journey.

Books expanded the world. We no longer had to see a play, we could hold the play in our hands.

Radio allowed us to use our voices and tone to tell a story.

We don't have to imagine characters speaking, we hear them talk. On top of that, we add sound effects on radio that written storytelling can't reach. Combining vocal tones, sound effects, and orchestra made the original 1938 War of Worlds radio broadcast terrifying.

Film forced our storytelling gene to mutate.

With visual and audio storytelling, we focused on crafting the perfect story using layers. The soundtrack tells a story combined with the actor's face. The best special effect in a film is an actor's face. Other writers have added onto the mutations by breaking storytelling into further guidelines.

• Intention and Obstacle. Where a character wants something but there's an obstacle preventing them.

• But therefore: Using the word "but" implies a conflict and change of direction. I was going to the store, but I forgot my credit card at home. A useful tool for getting outlines done well.

What’s the next mutation?

With immersive technology and artificial intelligence rising, our storytelling gene will mutate again to accommodate the environment. The environment forces the mutation. With each mutation, our struggle is to connect with each other.

The next mutation will be immersive technology.

Before, spectacles glued our eyes to the page, stage, or screen, but now spectacles are dying out. Substance is needed more than ever. Authenticity, connection, and meaning trump spectacle each day. Using immersive technology such as VR or AR, we build worlds filled with meaning and connection. Full body haptic suits exist giving users touch sensations as they explore the VR world.

Not to replace real human connection but to share our experiences with other.

Despite the centuries of mutations our storytelling genes have gone through, we still have the same goal: To share our experiences with one another.