Several characters, who directly interact with the shimmer, have doubles that can be identified by the 'Ouroboros' tattoo on their arm. In 2011, a group of French scientists identified a mutation in the brown Algae, 'Ectocarpus'. This organism has a two-stage life-cycle, with each phase producing a different form of the organism at a genetic level. The French scientists identified a mutation, which they called 'Ouroboros', that allows the sporophyte phase to mimic the gametophyte phase. In effect, this causes the organism to exist as a continuous gametophyte phase. This is similar to other, homeotic, mutations that cause specific organs to mutate into different organs, such as antennae in fruit flies converting to become legs. However, the Ouroboros mutation affects the whole organism and not just a single organ. See Coelho, S; Godfroy, O; Arun, A; Le Corguillé, G; Peters, A & Cock, J. M. (2011) OUROBOROS is a master regulator of the gametophyte to sporophyte life cycle transition in the brown alga Ectocarpus, PNAS 108(28): pp. 11518-11523 doi:10.1073/pnas.1102274108This process is similar to the 'refraction' identified by the scientists in the Shimmer. The work falls within the scientific area of the genetic regulation of life cycle transmission, which is mentioned as Lena's specialism as a biologist.

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