| rdfs:comment | - According to Dr. Carson Beckett, who discovered its existence, the ATA gene is always on, instructing various cells in the body to produce a series of proteins and enzymes that interact with the skin, the nervous system and the brain, allowing gene carriers to operate Ancient technology by thought alone. The gene itself may be artificial in origin - created by an early generation of Ancients and passed down since. As the gene was introduced into the human population through interbreeding with the Ancients, a small percentage of humans from Earth already have this gene. However, since nearly 10,000 years have gone by since the Ancients ascended, the gene is exceedingly rare among humans, and rarer still for those who possess it to have much proficiency in its use. The same is true of some h
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| abstract | - According to Dr. Carson Beckett, who discovered its existence, the ATA gene is always on, instructing various cells in the body to produce a series of proteins and enzymes that interact with the skin, the nervous system and the brain, allowing gene carriers to operate Ancient technology by thought alone. The gene itself may be artificial in origin - created by an early generation of Ancients and passed down since. As the gene was introduced into the human population through interbreeding with the Ancients, a small percentage of humans from Earth already have this gene. However, since nearly 10,000 years have gone by since the Ancients ascended, the gene is exceedingly rare among humans, and rarer still for those who possess it to have much proficiency in its use. The same is true of some humans born in the Pegasus Galaxy. The gene is stronger in some than it is in others; the stronger the gene, the greater the ease with which the user can operate Ancient technology. Ancient handheld medical scanners can detect and measure the strength of the gene. The Atlantis Expedition uses a ranking system called "Chair Interface Aptitude" (or CIA) that ranks people with the ATA gene in the order of their ability to use the Ancient Control chair, the single most sophisticated piece of technology requiring the gene as well as the one most dependent on the user's mental aptitude. The highest ranked person in Atlantis is Lt. Colonel John Sheppard, followed by Dr. Carson Beckett. It seems likely that people with greater familiarity with the technology, such as those who have used a Repository of knowledge, also have a much easier time using it. Colonel Jack O'Neill was able to use a Control chair with no apparent effort while under the influence of the repository, but has a much harder time activating a Puddle Jumper when he is no longer under its effects. Lt. General Jack O'Neill's ATA-gene is extremely strong, probably surpassing even Lt.Colonel John Sheppard's. The latter seems much more comfortable using it however, as a result off his long time in Atlantis were it's much often needed. Starting in 2004, the Atlantis expedition team began to employ in vivo retroviral gene therapy (using a deactivated mouse retrovirus) to artificially implant the gene in humans; however, only 47 to 48% of those who undergo the procedure are rewarded with the ATA gene, and even then it is not always permanent. It is not clear how high those given the therapy would rank in the CIA test, though it should be noted that the two highest ranking individuals are natural carriers. The first one inoculated was Dr. Rodney McKay, on whom the treatment was successful. It has since allowed him to further his research on Ancient technology and fly Ancient ships. (Stargate: SG-1, Stargate: Atlantis)
- According to Dr. Carson Beckett, who discovered its existence, the ATA gene is always on, instructing various cells in the body to produce a series of proteins and enzymes that interact with the skin, the nervous system and the brain, allowing gene carriers to operate Ancient technology by thought alone. The gene itself may be artificial in origin - created by an early generation of Ancients and passed down since. As the gene was introduced into the human population through interbreeding with the Ancients, a small percentage of humans from Earth already have this gene. However, since nearly 10,000 years have gone by since the Ancients ascended, the gene is exceedingly rare among humans, and rarer still for those who possess it to have much proficiency in its use. The same is true of some humans born in the Pegasus galaxy. The gene is stronger in some than it is in others; the stronger the gene, the greater the ease with which the user can operate Ancient technology. Ancient handheld medical scanners can detect and measure the strength of the gene. The Atlantis expedition uses a ranking system called "Chair Interface Aptitude" (or CIA) that ranks people with the ATA gene in the order of their ability to use the Ancient Control chair, the single most sophisticated piece of technology requiring the gene as well as the one most dependent on the user's mental aptitude. The highest ranked person in Atlantis is Lt. Colonel John Sheppard, followed by Dr. Carson Beckett. It seems likely that people with greater familiarity with the technology, such as those who have used a Repository of knowledge, also have a much easier time using it. Colonel Jack O'Neill (who has an extremely strong ATA-gene) was able to use a Control chair with no apparent effort while under the influence of the repository, but has a much harder time activating a Puddle Jumper when he is no longer under its effects. This is simply because he rarely uses devices that requires the gene. However, O'Neill possesses a strong version of the gene even without the Repository to help him: he was able to override the Kinahhi control over the Sheh-fet and was able to fly the Time Jumper better than anyone at Area 51 who had the gene, with Lt. Colonel Samantha Carter saying that while the people at Area 51 could barely get the Time Jumper off the ground, he could fly it with ease once he figured it out. Indeed, his alternate timeline counterpart displayed a similar ease with using the Time Jumper without having encountered any sort of Ancient technology before. This indicates that Sheppard, Beckett and O'Neill are the strongest known carriers of the gene. It is later discovered that this was not a coincidence: all three men are from the same ATA gene cluster, and are likely related within eight generations. (SGA: "Legacy: Homecoming") Starting in 2004, the Atlantis expedition team began to employ in vivo retroviral gene therapy (using a deactivated mouse retrovirus) to artificially implant the gene in humans; however, only 47 to 48% of those who undergo the procedure are rewarded with the ATA gene, and even then it is not always permanent. It is not clear how high those given the therapy would rank in the CIA test, though it should be noted that the two highest ranking individuals are natural carriers. The first one inoculated was Dr. Rodney McKay, on whom the treatment was successful. It has since allowed him to further his research on Ancient technology and fly Ancient ships. (SG1: "Lost City, Part 2", "It's Good to Be King", SGA: "Rising", "Hide and Seek", "Enemy at the Gate") Its later suggested that the proficiency of the gene wielder doesn't have to do with the strength of their gene, but rather their ability to let go in the interface. John Sheppard is extremely good at this, hence his greater use of the gene while he suggests that Jack O'Neill lacks the ability to let go so much, resulting in his lesser use of the gene.
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