From: Brett Paatsch (paatschb@optusnet.com.au)
Date: Fri May 30 2003 - 02:17:21 MDT
Matt Ridley author of the Red Queen has written a book Nature
via Nurture and in today's version of Time there's an interesting
"teaser" article. The science may be light but I liked it.
http://www.time.com/time/covers/1101030602/story.html
"Only now is it dawning on scientists .... that learning itself
consists of nothing more than switching genes on and off "
......
"To make grand changes in the body plan of animals, there
is no need to invent new genes, just as there's no need to
invent new words to write an original novel (unless your
name is Joyce). All you need do is switch the same ones
on and off in different patterns. Suddenly, here is a
mechanism for creating large and small evolutionary changes
from small genetic differences. Merely by adjusting the
sequence of a promoter or adding a new one, you could
alter the expression of a gene.
In one sense, this is a bit depressing. It means that until
scientists know how to find gene promoters in the vast text
of the genome, they will not learn how the recipe for a
chimpanzee differs from that for a person. But in another
sense, it is also uplifting, for it reminds us more forcefully
than ever of a simple truth that is all too often forgotten:
bodies are not made, they grow. The genome is not a
blueprint for constructing a body. It is a recipe for baking
a body. You could say the chicken embryo is marinated
for a shorter time in the HoxC8 sauce than the mouse
embryo is. Likewise, the development of a certain human
behavior takes a certain time and occurs in a certain order,
just as the cooking of a perfect soufflé requires not just
the right ingredients but also the right amount of cooking
and the right order of events.
How does this new view of genes alter our understanding
of human nature? Take a look at four examples "
-- He then looks at Language, Love, Antisocial Behavior and Homosexuality. - Brett Paatsch
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