Genome complexity: controlling DNA in the cell (Introduction)

by dhw, Monday, November 05, 2018, 10:03 (1997 days ago) @ David Turell

QUOTE: "'Jumping gene invasion triggers catastrophic genomic instability in all organisms," remarked Zhao Zhang. "They greatly reduce the viability or fertility of the invaded animals and can lead to a population crisis. We believe that the ability of reproductive stem cells to rapidly adapt and restore fertility in this manner allows species to resist such a population crash. This mechanism is a lynchpin to species survival.'" (David's bold)

DAVID: My bolded sentence makes that obvious point that design is necessary from the beginning of sexual reproduction. Since transposons cause such trouble, control mechanisms had to be present from the beginning.

In that case I can’t help wondering why transposons were designed in such a way that they would cause so much trouble. It’s as if the different types of cell have to work out their own means of achieving the equilibrium or homeostasis necessary for life to continue. I would love to know more about the capabilities of stem cells. Their ability to adapt and to change their identity might lie at the core of evolutionary development.

QUOTE: Who’s driving the bus in cellular metabolism?” said Sumners. “It’s a very dynamic process — DNA and proteins each influences how the other acts and reacts.'”

DAVID: This 3-D dance in cells is constant as life maintains its balance or homeostasis. It has to be automatically making necessary choices or life's processes could be scrambled by imperfect reactions. Bit by bit we are unearthing the hidden layers of genome complexity, but there is one item we don't understand at all: we may know what gene controls what process or event, but we have no idea how it exerts its control. […]

dhw: Thank you for another important article. “We have no idea how it exerts its control” is fair comment, but it doesn’t have to be AUTOMATICALLY making necessary choices. The cell/cell communities could simply be making necessary choices. Macrocosm and microcosm: macrocosmic humans and to a lesser degree our fellow animals autonomously use what we call the mind to make intelligent choices (“drive the bus”), although we have no idea what actually constitutes the mind or “how it exerts its control”. Some scientists would say the same about microcosmic cells and cell communities. That doesn't mean they have a human/animal mind - just their own particular form of intelligence. If you would only stop inserting "automatically" in your comments, I wouldn't have to indulge in all this repetition!

DAVID: Why stop when it is what I believe from the chemical evidence? Life requires constant maintenance which means exact repetition, which means automatic. Your kidney controls sodium levels in the blood exactly in a tiny range of value. The decisions are automatic, not simply necessary, which really means automatic. Stop playing with words that don't change what is obvious.

More repetition: yes, most of cellular activity is automatic. It ceases to be automatic when the cell/cell community is confronted with new problems. That is how scientists test for intelligence!

Quote: "'We know the condensin complex is involved, because if you remove it, mitosis doesn't happen," he said. "But nobody understands the mechanism. Now that we have this structure, we have the first shot at understanding the molecular details.'"

DAVID’s comment: Translation of this paper: we can see what the molecules do, but we do not know how the molecules are controlled. Molecules cannot act on their own, but are driven by reactions that are intelligently purposeful. The complexity requires design.

Thank you for summarizing the message so concisely. Yes, the complexity requires design. But the question remains: what is the mechanism that controls the actions of the molecules? If actions/reactions are intelligently purposeful, you are faced with a stark choice. Either every single one was preprogrammed 3.8 billion years ago, or your God personally intervenes when there is a new problem, or (theistic version of my hypothesis) he endowed cells with a mechanism that would enable them to deal AUTONOMOUSLY with problems as they arose.