Complexity of gene codes (Introduction)

by dhw, Saturday, January 29, 2011, 14:50 (4856 days ago) @ David Turell

David drew our attention to an article about the genome, one aspect of which I have queried, as its ramifications are enormous. -DAVID: I don't think he ever said that life did not come from inorganic materials.-The symphonic image and the complexity of the genome are clear, but there are two passages that aren't. You've repeated one of my quotes: "things do not become simpler, less organic, less animate." The other quote ends: "[Molecular biologists] are writing "finis" to the misbegotten hope for a non-lifelike foundation of life, even if the fact hasn't yet been widely announced. It is, I think, time for the announcement."-What do you think he means, then, by "a non-lifelike foundation of life", in the context of things NOT becoming less organic, less animate? Who do you think is hoping for a non-lifelike foundation? What do you think is the announcement? -Sorry for the third degree!-Thank you for the latest posts about horizontal gene transfer. This appears to shed light on how prokaryotes adapt to changing conditions, but does it have any bearing on the emergence of totally new organs and species? (I'm asking because I'm not sure whether I've understood all the implications.)