We don't need no mass confusion; we don't need no constitution; we don't need no President to tell us we're free. Everybody wants a little taste of anarchy.
- Long Beach Dub Allstars
::   Blog  ::   Photos  ::   Europe  ::   Books  ::   Articles  ::   Links  ::   Friends  ::   Combo Feed  ::   Mobile  ::    
Submit a story!
Need Help?

Powered by FeedBlitz

Most Popular
Download This American Life Episodes
An Experiment in Porn
Fuck For Forest
Japan and Atomic Bomb Effects
Carnival Of The Green #18

Random Entries:
Al Gore Wins Nobel Prize
Easter Break

Silly shit said at the RNC
Call to action

World Food/Slow Food
Globalization of Food and Agriculture
NAIS? Ridiculous.
Jalapenos and Salmonella - Same Old Story?
The Effects of Globalization on Developing World Agricultural Systems
Industrial Agriculture and Vertical Integration
London Restaurants

Recent Comments:
Spongebob is Such a Homo!
Leash gal sex pics
The Consistency Of Inconsistency or "Hope and Change"
Search Terms
Geeky Gardening
george-at-dirtygreek.org george-at-dirtygreek.org

Twitter / DirtyGreek
Follow DirtyGreek on Twitter

My Photos
Gallery RSS
My Flickr Photos
Syndicate Me!
Dirty Greek - A Fantastic P.Z. Myers Article
  Science : A Fantastic P.Z. Myers Article
You are NOT on the DirtyGreek.Org homepage. Please CLICK HERE to go there.

From the most recent Seed Magazine, which you should be subscribed to:
One element common to both human and fugu is a DNA sequence called LINE, short for Long Interspersed Element. LINE, itself a gene about 6,000 base pairs long, codes for an enzyme called a reverse transcriptase. The key here is that it recognizes its own RNA sequence, and repeatedly inserts copies of itself into our genome. LINEs seem to be relics of the "copying machinery" of old viral infections wherein a virus would embed a portion of itself into our genome, not enough to propagate the full, infectious virus, but enough to continue copying itself. It is a classic example of a selfish gene: It has no purpose but to do only that, without benefit to us.
If you're reading this, you probably already know Dr. Myers' blog Pharyngula, but if not, you should be reading it. This is a fantastic article, very detailed and intricate, but completely understandable to newbies in the biological sciences. The moral of the story is clear: not only are we the result of a long and complicated evolutionary process, but we have old DNA that clearly marks our relation to some of our oldest ancestors, including virus-like species.
Posted By George on 05/31/2008 @ 10:17 AM | Link and Discuss (0) | More Science evolution pzmyers pharyngula science biology seed seedmagazine
Share And Enjoy: Post To Del.icio.us Post To Socialposter.com Post To Digg Post To Reddit Post To Technorati Post To Blinklist Post To Stumbleupon Post To Twitter Post To Google Bookmarks Post To NewsVine Post To Microsoft Live Email To A Friend

My Related Posts: N. Korea and Iran share a nuke plant! // 80% of Homophobic Men Aroused By Homosexual Imagery // Search Terms // GB #8 - Globalization's Effects On Economies // Silencing soldiers who ask questions //
No Comments
Name
Email
Subject
  Security Image
 
Comment