Junk DNA doesn't code for protein, but it seems to carry out various control functions over the protein synthesis and interaction processes, no?
ben g On Wed, Dec 3, 2008 at 4:02 PM, Terren Suydam <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Possibly... it has been shown with methylation. But I think the mechanism > you're proposing could not involve methylation because (someone can correct > me if wrong) methylation is only applicable to coding regions (methyl group > only added to specific DNA sequences that mark the gene). That's not to say > another switching mechanism on non-coding regions could not also be heritable > (i.e., reproduced in the copied DNA strand). > > Using DNA switches (such as methylation) is more tractable than DNA > rewriting, but again, the amount of information storage is the limiting > factor. Indeed, switching on and off sections of DNA implies a big reduction > in information capacity (as compared to DNA rewriting), since gene switching > applies to sections of DNA. I wonder how much memory would you expect to be > able to pass on through this mechanism? > > Also, you would need to propose the mechanism by which this form of storage > would be "read". Since junk DNA by definition doesn't code for anything, by > what mechanism would these switches have an effect on cellular, neural, or > otherwise cognitive processes? > > Terren > > --- On Wed, 12/3/08, Richard Loosemore <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> Ah, hang on folks: what I was meaning was that the *state* >> of the junk DNA was being used, not the code. >> >> I am referring to the stuff that is dynamically >> interacting, as a result of which genes are switched on and >> off all over the place .... so this is a gigantic network of >> switches. >> >> I wouldn't suggest that something is snipping and >> recombining the actual code of the "junk" DNA, >> only that the state of the switches is being used to code >> for something. >> >> Question is: can the state of the switches be preserved >> during reproduction? >> >> >> >> Richard Loosemore >> >> >> ------------------------------------------- >> agi >> Archives: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/303/=now >> RSS Feed: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/303/ >> Modify Your Subscription: >> https://www.listbox.com/member/?&; >> Powered by Listbox: http://www.listbox.com > > > > > > ------------------------------------------- > agi > Archives: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/303/=now > RSS Feed: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/303/ > Modify Your Subscription: https://www.listbox.com/member/?&; > Powered by Listbox: http://www.listbox.com > -- Ben Goertzel, PhD CEO, Novamente LLC and Biomind LLC Director of Research, SIAI [EMAIL PROTECTED] "I intend to live forever, or die trying." -- Groucho Marx ------------------------------------------- agi Archives: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/303/=now RSS Feed: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/303/ Modify Your Subscription: https://www.listbox.com/member/?member_id=8660244&id_secret=120640061-aded06 Powered by Listbox: http://www.listbox.com
