Dragon metamorphosis and regeneration (spoilers for Liveship and Rain Wilds books)

[maulkin]

Development (even "normal" development) is not determined solely by DNA. It results from a complex interplay of genetic, epigenetic and environmental factors. Every cell in the body contains the same DNA (with obvious exceptions such as red blood cells, ova and sperm) yet cells differentiate to form different types of tissue, depending on their locations in space and time. The same genetic code may produce a stunted wing or a functional wing, depending upon the context in which the code is expressed. This does not mean that normal wing development is encoded by DNA while stunted wing development is not. It means that the same DNA codes for normal wing development under normal conditions and stunted wing development under abnormal conditions.