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To: RadioAstronomer;Sabertooth
Excellent point! The "randomness" is really a description of a population's characteristics, like height, weight or eye color. The reactions within the sex cells at the molecular level aren't random and neither is the fertilization when the sex cells join. The actions of these molecules is very specific. The mechanisms for this are just not well understood. If the mechanisms were understood, there'd be an HIV vaccine.

To Sabertooth's point about reshuffling genes, humans contain genes for gills and probably some other stuff (wings would be cool, but I don't think we could fly). Look at human embryonic developmental characteristics. But genes are added and destroyed. There are simple viral vectors for some activity and bacteria can swap DNA readily. There are also situations where DNA can become truncated. Again the processes are not well understood.

Technology has reached the point where these mechanisms can be described over the next several hundred years or less. There's a lot of data, but the procedures are becoming automated and computer power and memory are no longer a constraint. This is a key point in history where this technology can benefit us in the hands of a free people or create God knows what suffering in the hands of people like x42. As a Christian, I'm saying we're better off having this technology in the hands of people who have moral values and who value life.

73 posted on 02/20/2002 2:39:39 PM PST by <1/1,000,000th%
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To: <1/1,000,000th%
and then are wrong in the end, like general relativity

GR is wrong? How?

112 posted on 02/20/2002 11:50:38 PM PST by RadioAstronomer
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