Ready, set, mutate... and may the best microbe win

Rice University ^ | 18 May 2006 | Staff (press release)

[Thatcherite]

Because it kept being deleted, and we didn't know why. The view I'm taking now is that the more people see that stuff the better, so if they get it by clicking on me that's fine. I'm not an interesting person myself, so submerging my personality into the glory of the Grand Master's CEO is a privilege and an honour.

[Right Wing Professor]

Point is, you're creating randomness

Not as far as I can tell. There is nothing in the protocol suggesting they altered the point mutation rate; and the rate they quote is pretty standard. They could have increased it by adding a mutagen; but since the rate was already high enough to produce a few individuals with every possible single point mutation in each generation, they didn't have to.

You're going to a lot of trouble to set up human-engineered circumstances to equate what your educated guess of randomness is. That's, um, not random.

Please indicate how they manipulated the 'randomness'.

[null and void]

Everybody be nice.

Shamoo???

How can we be nice with that set-up???

[2nsdammit]

"And this estimate was based on what?"

SCIENCE!!! (As in, 'She blinded me with....')

I'm not a molecular biologist, and I don't even play one on TV, but I'm reasonably sure this estimate was based on known mutational rates established by years of experimental science done by other researchers. That's how it works - you start with work done by others. Its the same way that this research doesn't have to prove that water boils at 212 degrees F in order to have sound outcomes.

"It doesn't sound like there is much to substantiate this."

Did you read the whole study? Also, do you understand the underlying science?

The fact that you don't understand the science doesn't mean that it doesn't exist.

[Liberal Classic]

[Seamoth]

Heh... knew that essay looked awfully familiar... :o)

[Right Wing Professor]

Oh. So you AREN'T creating randomness?

Right. Mutations have their own intrinsic rate.

The definition of experiment includes human tampering.

How do you do an experiment without human 'tampering', Dave?

[PatrickHenry]

I'm not an interesting person myself, so submerging my personality into the glory of the Grand Master's CEO is a privilege and an honour.

If only you knew how boring I truly am ...

[Doctor Stochastic]

I was wondered why people were mirroring his profile page.

Pour le droit du faire Spartacus.

[LibertarianSchmoe]

You have our gratitude...

[dread78645]

It's poetry in motion
She turned her tender eyes to me
As deep as any ocean
As sweet as any harmony
Mmm - but she blinded me with science
"She blinded me with science!"
And failed me in biology
When I'm dancing close to her
"Blinding me with science - science!"
I can smell the chemicals
"Blinding me with science - science!"

[dread78645]

If only you knew how boring I truly am ...

[PatrickHenry]

Yeah, well ... Kathy thinks I'm exciting. If I succumb to her blandishments, I'll be the first action she's had since 1956.

[RobRoy]

>>Shamoo said the most promising finding is the fact that the follow-up test produced precisely the same mutant genes. <<

Interesting. It looks like an evolution "closed loop". It is as though the program (DNA) is designed to cope with certain conditions - "when this happens, do this".

[RobRoy]

Please sir, refrane from creating straw men and deal with the real world.

[Doctor Stochastic]

If only you knew how boring I truly am ...

[dread78645]

Ah! And how could we forget the lovely Connie Morris:

[PatrickHenry]

Ah, Connie! She and Kathy are the fantasy twosome of the prairie.

[eleni121]

..... I'm stumped.
_________________________________________________
YOU are. May I add fossilized.