Re: A Challenge for Hubey's DE's...
H. M. Hubey (hubey@pegasus.montclair.edu)
28 Nov 1995 15:53:43 -0500
Ralph L Holloway <rlh2@columbia.edu> writes:
> The NY Times Science Section (Tues, Nov 28) has a little write-up of
>the bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans (sorry Hubey, but that is what it
>is called), which can survive radiation at levels well beyond what is
>lethal to us. Up to 1.5 million rads were mentioned, which is 3000 times
>the lethal dose for ourselves. The bacterium does this by being able to
>repair its own DNA. How, no one really knows. But wait it gets more
>interesting.
Interesting. Is this like starfish(?) which grows back
lost parts?
This reminds me of a joke. A guy jumps up and hangs
upside down from the ceiling. A spectator says "Big deal,
a fly can do that?"
So big deal, a bacteria can repair its DNA.
Now the real interesting part is not what you write below.
The real interesting part is if scientists finally crack
the secret of how it's done, can they do the same thing
with humans and make them more robust.
Echhhh, that's not PC, is it? :-)..
If God wanted us to repair our DNA we would have been
born that way :-)...
yeah,and if God wanted us to tinker with the DNA of plants
and animals instead of "let there be light" he would have
given us the Maxwell's equations, and Schrodinger's equations,
and laws of thermodynamics. Ergo, we should not be futzing around
with genetics, and instead become modern day Hindus, and revere
viruses and bacteria for being what they are.
How moronically PC can one get?
> Use the DE's to predict how the bacterium is able to repair its own
>genetic material...
Why don't you relate this to characters and bone-gazing instead?
--
Regards, Mark
http://www.smns.montclair.edu/~hubey
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