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Disclaimer: I really know nothing about biology or genetics. This is an area I find fascinating. One thing I've pondered is with merely a genome could you cons

by cletus 10y ago

Disclaimer: I really know nothing about biology or genetics. This is an area I find fascinating. One thing I've pondered is with merely a genome could you construct the organism it's from? The first problem is creating a fertilized egg. Having that, it's not clear to me (again, as a layman) whether or not you could gestate that to an independent organism. To put it in computing terms, imagine the genome as "source code" and the host (gestating) organism as, for lack of a better word, a "compiler". Now imagine that a lot of the complexity of life comes from these successive generations, which is to say that an organism isn't simply a function of its genome, it's essentially a function of every ancestor. If you think about it, some organisms are born with some ingrained characteristics and behaviour. Humans have the moro reflex. Bear cubs manage to find way to their mother's milk when the mother is barely conscious. Some ducks are capable of swimming, eating and surviving from the day they're born. How much of this is part of the genome and how much is "communicated" from mother to child in the womb? Obviously only applies to a subset of animals. Birds, for example, are born in eggs and--unless I'm missing something--the only interaction between parent and egg once the egg is laid is incubation so it's easy to imagine that there is no "communication" in this phase. But maybe this is what makes mammals (particularly primates) seemingly special? How much of what we do is hardwired or "software"? So there have been two important developments in the last year or so. The first is hatching chicks without a shell [1]. The second is this and this is far more impressive. If nothing else, this limits potential interactions between mother and unborn child. At least for sheep. I think this is a really important development. [1]: https://www.cnet.com/news/video-shows-how-to-incubate-an-egg-without-the-shell/ https://www.cnet.com/news/video-shows-how-to-incubate-an-egg...

refurb 10y ago
One thing I've pondered is with merely a genome could you construct the organism it's from? Craig Venter already did that with a bacterial. He synthesized the entire genome, then inserted it a cell. I assume that cell already had the other machinery (translation enzymes, etc).
- cletus 10y ago
  Single cells organisms are one thing. I don't think you can automatically extrapolate from bacteria to primates however.
_Adam 10y ago
I'm doubtful about this. There's no neural connection between mother and child, and I find it hard to believe there's some alternative communication mode with enough bandwidth to teach behaviours. The fetus may be listening to the outside environment or hearing his or her mother talk, but if this was a prerequisite to the "specialness" of humans/primates you are referring to, then we would see significant differences in the immediate post-natal behaviour of congenitally deaf children. I haven't searched the literature for this topic, but I personally have never seen that mentioned. An easier explanation is that these are genetically encoded. The ducks are a good example. Ducks hatched from eggs that are artificially incubated seem to have the same core instincts as those hatched from natural incubation. That said, there are still important forms of communication between mother and child: chemicals. An extreme example is the disastrous and tragic affect of alcohol on fetal development.

by cletus 10y ago

refurb 10y ago

One thing I've pondered is with merely a genome could you construct the organism it's from? Craig Venter already did that with a bacterial. He synthesized the entire genome, then inserted it a cell. I assume that cell already had the other machinery (translation enzymes, etc).

cletus 10y ago
Single cells organisms are one thing. I don't think you can automatically extrapolate from bacteria to primates however.

_Adam 10y ago

I'm doubtful about this. There's no neural connection between mother and child, and I find it hard to believe there's some alternative communication mode with enough bandwidth to teach behaviours. The fetus may be listening to the outside environment or hearing his or her mother talk, but if this was a prerequisite to the "specialness" of humans/primates you are referring to, then we would see significant differences in the immediate post-natal behaviour of congenitally deaf children. I haven't searched the literature for this topic, but I personally have never seen that mentioned. An easier explanation is that these are genetically encoded. The ducks are a good example. Ducks hatched from eggs that are artificially incubated seem to have the same core instincts as those hatched from natural incubation. That said, there are still important forms of communication between mother and child: chemicals. An extreme example is the disastrous and tragic affect of alcohol on fetal development.