3 ms·
It's perfectly legitimate to say life stores information using only two "types" of things (AT or GC) which can be oriented one way or another, which is a "binar
by WClayFerguson 6y ago
It's perfectly legitimate to say life stores information using only two "types" of things (AT or GC) which can be oriented one way or another, which is a "binary choice of the type". I explain it that way because it reaches a wider audience (easier to visualize)
However there's always at least one stickler who wants to quibble that the orientation is also a "binary bit" of information. Congratulations, you're him today!!
- kaba0 6y agoI did think about that, that’s why I added the second paragraph, namely that what about RNAs? (Since presumably they precede the DNA world) They can self-bind (I don’t know the proper nomenclature in English), but by all means they have 4 bases.
- WClayFerguson 6y agoThere's two kinds of base pairs, is identical to there's 4 kinds of bases.
- kaba0 6y agoRNAs are a single chain. Your point makes no sense. A code with a 4 letter alphabet would be 2 letter, if it happened to use a parity “bit” or other error correction info?
- WClayFerguson 6y agoI never said RNA was built on two types of molecules. I said DNA was.