Genome complexity: mathematic control of mutations (Introduction)

by David Turell , Monday, August 14, 2023, 20:54 (257 days ago) @ David Turell

There is a mathematical pattern:

https://www.livescience.com/physics-mathematics/mathematics/scientists-uncover-hidden-m...

"Scientists have discovered that a key function from a "pure" branch of mathematics can predict how often genetic mutations lead to changes in function.

"These rules, laid out by the so-called sum-of-digits function, also govern some aspects of protein folding, computer coding and certain magnetic states in physics.

"'Part of what we're trying to do is find a universal explanation for a lot of these trends which have been observed in nature," said lead study author Vaibhav Mohanty, a theoretical physicist

***

"For every genotype — letters of DNA for a given gene — there is a phenotype, or end result: a new protein, or even a behavior in the case of a gene that regulates another set of genes. A given genotype can accrue a number of mutations before its phenotype changes; this accumulation of neutral mutations is a major way evolution proceeds.

***

"Adding up the digits used to represent these five sequences gives you the average number of mutations those genotypes can take on before their phenotypes shift, the researchers found.

"This led to the second intriguing discovery: These sums of digits, plotted out on a graph, formed what's called a blancmange curve, a fractal curve named after a French dessert (which looks like a fancy molded pudding).

"In a fractal curve, "if you zoom into the curve it looks exactly the same as if you were zoomed out, and you can continue to zoom in infinitely and infinitely and infinitely and it would be the same," Mohanty said.

"These findings revealed some interesting secrets about error correction, Mohanty said. For instance, the natural systems the researchers studied tended to handle errors differently than humans do when setting up data storage, like in digital messages or on CDs or DVDs. In these technological examples, all errors are treated equally, while biological systems tend to protect certain sequences more than others. (my bold)

"That's not surprising for genetic sequences, where there might be several linchpin sequences and then others that are more peripheral to the main gene function, Mohanty said. "

Comment: more evidence that God is a mathematician as He conducts evolution.