[Right Wing Professor]

Genetic takeovers:  He chided those whose models invoke genetic takeovers: i.e., starting with another sugar then switching to ribose, starting with another informational macromolecule then switching to DNA, etc.  For instance, some flippantly suggest to get DNA’s sugar, “just add an OH to ribose....”  The professor got animated.  That adds a charge to the molecule, he exclaimed, and what is more important to the behavior of a molecule than its electrostatic charge?  You can’t just add a charge to a molecule and expect it to keep behaving like it did before.

This is nonsense. You replace a H on DNA with an OH, you don't change the charge. Either the seminar-giver, or the reporter, doesn't know what he's talking about. I strongly suspect it's the latter.

I did a search at the JPL website for a seminar held on Novmber 5 2004 that fits this description. I couldn't find one. Perhaps someone else might have better luck?

[general_re]

I did a search at the JPL website for a seminar held on Novmber 5 2004 that fits this description. I couldn't find one.

Me either. Must be my close-mindedness. Better than being so "open-minded" as to accept something merely because it reinforces one's previous beliefs, I suppose....