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harry potter - What happens if you use Polyjuice potion after saving hair or nails?



Suppose you cut a five year old's hair, save it for 10 years, and then use it for a Polyjuice transformation. What age do you turn into: The toddler or the teenager?



Answer




You would appear according to the age of the sample when taken


As evidenced in this question



DNA degradation due to aging. When discussing aging in biology, we use the technical term senescence. Of interest here is the shortening of telomeres due to mistakes made in your cells as they continue to divide (copying the DNA to each new daughter cell).



Since PolyJuice potion requires genetic material in order to work, it stands to reason that you would gain the appearance based on the state of the DNA/RNA avalaible in the sample. If the genetic material is from an older person, the material would be more degraded (aged) and the resultant appearance would reflect that.


The Potion could extrapolate an approximate age of the target based on the state of degradation in the genetic materials, developing an image based on the genetic material that reflects this degradation.



Mentioned is Mad-eye Moody being kept alive by Barty Crouch, who was impersonating him. Crouch needed him alive so he could harvest new genetic material as his supplies on hand ran out. Likely maintaining a stock of viable organic material is difficult for him to have, so he keeps him around to periodically collect more hair/skin/fingernails/etc.


PolyJuice is Voodoo related


There may be a magical component as well, as the genetic material, while reproducing age, would NOT reproduce non-genetic traits such as hairstyle, scars, markings, tattoos, etc as is shown in both books and movies.


To that end, the genetic material merely creates a link between it and the person targeted, as a Voodoo doll would do. In this case, the potion would then mimic the exact current state of the targeted person, including age and other alterations.


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