What Defines an Organism? Biologists Say 'Purpose.'

ICR News ^ | December 10, 2009 | Brian Thomas, M.S.

[GodGunsGuts]

David Queller and Joan Strassmann, evolutionary biologists at Rice University, recently proposed a new way to describe what makes an organism a unified whole. They defined an organism as an entity made up of parts that cooperate well for an overall purpose, and do so with minimal conflict. But how do parts like these get together, and where does purposeful behavior come from?...

[stormer]

Most organisms reaching senescence do expire; they represent a resource sink within the population. In advanced animals, species that engage in forms of altruistic behavior are more likely to have individuals within the population of advanced age; elephants, certain birds, and of course humans, are known for this trait. The situation with humans is complicated by medical technology which allows for individuals to survive otherwise lethal events or conditions.

[Earthdweller]

Not mine...ask dustperson for more info on that. Nothing matters in the dust bowl but the wind.

We organism have self preservation to tend to, when we do anything, it means something.

[metmom]

DNA is not super sophisticated, unless you don’t have the basic education to understand it. It’s only As, Gs, Ts, and Cs. Pretty basic to me.

I take it then, you understand it completely. You should have a Nobel Prize awaiting you then.

The rest of those ignurint scientists are just coming to the conclusion that *junk DNA* may just not be junk after all.

Why don't you go tell them that you have it all figured out and save them the effort?

[stormer]

As noted, extinction applies to a species; extirpation applies to a species within a geographically defined area.

[GodGunsGuts]

See what your ignorance has done? Now I'm gonna have to get all remedial on you!

DNA is a very large molecule, made up of smaller units called nucleotides that are strung together in a row, making a DNA molecule thousands of times longer than it is wide.

Each nucleotide has three parts: a sugar molecule, a phosphate molecule, and a structure called a nitrogenous base. The nitrogenous base is the part of the nucleotide that carries genetic information, so the words "nucleotide" and "base" are often used interchangeably. The bases found in DNA come in four varieties: adenine, cytosine, guanine, and thymine—often abbreviated as A, C, G, and T, the letters of the genetic alphabet.

A DNA molecule is a double helix, a structure that looks much like a ladder twisted into a spiral. The sides of the ladder are made of alternating sugar and phosphate molecules, the sugar of one nucleotide linked to the phosphate of the next. DNA is often said to have a sugar and phosphate "backbone."

Each rung of the ladder is made of two nitrogenous bases linked together in the middle. The length of a DNA molecule is often measured in "base pairs," or bp—that is, the number of rungs in the ladder. Sometimes, this unit of measurement is shortened simply to "bases."

http://www.genomenewsnetwork.org/resources/whats_a_genome/Chp1_4_1.shtml

[count-your-change]

Well..If DNA is just A,G,T,C let’s see the ‘wits’ spell something. shouldn’t be a problem, only for letters instead of twenty-six, no big deal.

[xcamel]

It is so unbecoming when you lie to cover your tracks, when you also know full well that your posting history is easy to look up, and the proof is right there.

as a matter of fact, you did it again in your answer to me.

“You are a living example of why Darwin’s un-scientific, evo-atheist creation myth..”

Seems again that you believe the 9th commandment doesn’t apply to you.

[GodGunsGuts]

All I see is someone trying to avoid the obvious hole in his argument, and instead has decided to dig that hole even bigger. Let me know when you want out of the hole you have dug for yourself and I’ll throw you a rope.

[stormer]

Very cool!

I have a friend who was going to name a slime mold he had discovered after me but he changed is mind after I mocked his adoration for professional wrestling - seriously.

[GodGunsGuts]

Yeah, that’s it, let the evos show us how easy it is to spell with a four letter alphabet...LOL!

[stormer]

I’ll bite - what’s the “obvious hole”?

[Ha Ha Thats Very Logical]

My standards are obviously far above yours, otherwise I would be posting about how nature selects from random processes to create complex, specified, super-sophisticated digital DNA codes, while I ignored the fact that the only empirically verified source for complex, specified, digital codes are intelligent designers.

So your "standards" for science writing are that it reaches the correct (in your view) conclusion, not whether it's factually accurate along the way. That's what I thought.

[GodGunsGuts]

You say that an orgnism is defined not by it’s overall purpose, but on its ability to reproduce. Pure bunk.

[stormer]

You’ll have to refresh my memory. Where and when did I say that?

[count-your-change]

“So your “standards” for science writing are that it reaches the correct (in your view) conclusion, not whether it's factually accurate along the way.”

Works for Darwinism. No matter how much of its “evidence” is found not to be, its conclusions are not to be questioned.

(please see the Lucy and Ardi show)

[hurly]

Why you should not post from ICR and expect to be taken seriously. Pay attention to the last sentence particularly.

“ICR claims it “met or exceeded” the 21 Standards of Certificates of Authority. In fact, ICR did not meet several of those standards which was the basis of the THECB’s refusal to grant the Certificate of Authority. Three of those unmet standards were faculty qualifications, the curriculum, and academic freedom of the faculty and students.

ICR’s claim that it suffers from “anti-accommodational evolution-only-science enforcement policy practices” is frankly absurd. ICR has every right in the world to teach its Creationist pseudoscience to paying students and can continue to do that, so that falsifies its claim of illegal victimization by the State of Texas. It has no right, however, to demand that its graduating students be awarded a Texas-certified Master of Science degree, since under no definition of science or practice of legitimate science education in the United States is ICR’s curriculum “science.”
http://pandasthumb.org/

[Wacka]

You just reinforced what I just said with pictures. Thanks.

The DNA “code”is made up of the four bases. The deoxyribo backbone is the structural part of the molecule.

Pretty simple when you see it, isn’t it?

[GodGunsGuts]

The point is you were wrong, DNA’s design is quite a bit more than simple letters...and you are also wrong about focusing on just the DNA, as I was specifically referring to the code contained in the DNA. In short, you were wrong on both counts, which is why I had to go all remedial on you :op

[Earthdweller]

Structure...you show us structure. My bones are mass structure...so what?

I have some questions for you since you seem to believe you are one of the high Priests of cerebral cortex worship.

Where did the first spark of energy come from? Why has science stopped researching the paranormal and spiritual aspects of the brain? Why do they call it a scientific fact and then change it when new evidence come out?

Do you have complete unfailing faith in this centuries research or will you convert when the next "evidence" replaces this "evidence"? If you are a true believer you must decide now or you are ignorant, a fool, an infidel and heretic to your peers. You must read every science book written by man and believe it all without fail....trust. Should I subject myself to all this and just have faith that it will never change?

Why don't you tell us all now, ...is this science finished? Will it never change? Is it rock solid for the ages? Should we all start worshiping at the altar of your brothers cerebral cortex and bow down to their wisdom or wait until the next century?

You must have all the answers...scientists are so smart. Other scientist tell us so and besides, they call us all stupid, so we really must be right? Kind of like the totalitarian Priest used to do before they threw people out of bell towers.

Please save us from a fate worse than death. Tell us what to do to save ourselves from the scientific self made God's before they get us.

[GodGunsGuts]

Wow, the jackbooted evo-atheist science establishment has been saying that the global warming skeptics did meet their “standards” for science, and look how that is turning out. Indeed, those very same people liken human-caused global warming skeptics to Darwin-denying creationists and AIDS “denialists”! What sweet irony...LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!!!