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You might be interested to learn that DNA is not actually read-only. Besides viruses like HIV and transposable elements which permanently splice themselves in t
by AprilArcus 5y ago
You might be interested to learn that DNA is not actually read-only. Besides viruses like HIV and transposable elements which permanently splice themselves in to the host's DNA, antibodies gain specificity through irreversible self-editing of the lymphocyte's genome via a similar (and perhaps, evolutionarily related) mechanism.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V(D)J_recombination https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V(D)J_recombination
- davesque 5y agoFascinating. Thanks so much for this! Natural biology really is miraculous (to use a loaded term).
- WJW 5y agoBiology uses only global variables. All processes can write to all others. We wouldn't do this in software because the human mind can't handle it (leading to bugs), but evolution has no such constraint.
- roflc0ptic 5y agoAs a metaphor that really doesn’t work. Biology is incredibly hype about modularization and separation of concerns. The human body rather goes out of its way to prevent arbitrary changes, both exogenous and endogenous
- kevin_thibedeau 5y agoThere's also epigenetics controlling gene activation, some of which is inheritable based on a parent's environmental exposures.
- ngcc_hk 5y agoIs the current vaccination sort of editing as well?
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- Tagbert 5y agoNo. It doesn’t change the DNA. It only uses the existing RNA messaging system to tell the body to product antibodies. What you are suggesting is like expecting Ethernet to change the source code.