Wk 2: Evo-Devo

"This means that in some sense, evolution is a simpler process than we first thought..... (rather than) starting from scratch, again and again.... We now unsderstand that, no, evolution works with packets of information and uses them in new and different ways, in new and different combinations, without having to invent anything fundamentally new..."

One of the things that this quote is referring to is the extremely high percentage of matching genomes between one species and the next, be it chimps, mice, or humans. It seems that one gene-cluster mutation can cause a string of changed characteristics, as in the case of the homeotic mutation of the fruit fly mentioned. Mutuations can "act as master regulators that choose between alternate developmental fates." But, when you get to the heart of the matter, ie. the genes, there may only be one small difference.

I can see the benefit of going to the base of all of the branches of variablity... working backwards, or devolving, in order to understand the current development of a species.

"Our Biological Selves"... a class discussion

I enjoyed our class discussion this week because I felt like everybody was throwing in great points from different directions. Overall, it seemed that we continued to raise concern about keeping the balance in Nature and that our biggest fear is technology going haywire and screwing things up to the point that we can't distinguish what is natural anymore. I felt like we all agreed that such advancements as being able to produce high quantities of certain proteins that can be isolated and used for such things as HIV medications is an amazing feat, but needs to be approached with caution. Clearly, we have the technology and intelligence to provide for all of the people in the world that need care, but just like every other cause on our minds these days: it is impossible to seperate capitalist motivation from real philanthropic endeavors. PROCEED SLOWLY: seems like the best thing we can do, as we decipher what will truly be best for humanity and all life, as a whole. However, the rest of the world seems to want to go faster and faster and faster. Why not STOP and use what we've got and really do it well (ie. minimizing side-effects, toxic over-pouring, and fatal f*ck ups? Is this too much to hope for?