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The word "evolve" does not have such a narrow meaning outside of a specific technical context. From the paper: The ability to selectively express different glu

by sp332 4y ago

The word "evolve" does not have such a narrow meaning outside of a specific technical context. From the paper: The ability to selectively express different glue protein genes and/or to extrude their products at different rates provides a faster mechanism to evolve material properties than sequence evolution alone.

MattPalmer1086 4y ago
I disagree. Evolve has a general meaning that is widely understood, not just in a specific technical context. The fact that a spider can selectively express different proteins to suit different conditions is no different to all the other ways a living body can selectively alter protein expression to suit different conditions. We would not describe those as evolution.
- moralestapia 4y ago
  >We would not describe those as evolution. What do you mean by "we"? Because I happen to have degrees in Genomics and Biology and I would definitely describe that as evolution.
  - MattPalmer1086 4y ago
    You are correct, and I misunderstood what the article was saying. I just skimmed the paper itself. I thought it was saying that spiders were simply adjusting the material properties of their glue in response to environmental conditions. This is not evolution. The paper is saying that while the glue genes themselves are largely conserved, the material properties can vary by altering the ratios of protein which are expressed. Presumably this ratio is controlled due to other faster evolving genes (although this is not proven by the paper as far as I can see). I'm not entirely sure if they ruled out whether spiders could in fact adjust their glue in response to changing environmental conditions.
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
- Hussell 4y ago
  Nowhere in the paper does it say that individual spiders are varying their silk composition in response to conditions. The selective expression of proteins is a difference between the two species studied, not between individuals within one species. The title is technically correct: the two species share a lot of glue genes, and the properties of their silks differ due to other genes affecting things like the ratios of glue proteins in the silk, and those genes evolved faster than the glue genes themselves.
  - MattPalmer1086 4y ago
    Correct, although I'm not sure if they proved that other genes were responsible for the variation, just that the glue genes were essentially the same between them.
- jdmichal 4y ago
  I for one definitely go grab the shotgun everytime I hear that "the situation is rapidly evolving" on the news. Someone has to be ready to defend against all those mutants. /s

by sp332 4y ago

MattPalmer1086 4y ago

I disagree. Evolve has a general meaning that is widely understood, not just in a specific technical context. The fact that a spider can selectively express different proteins to suit different conditions is no different to all the other ways a living body can selectively alter protein expression to suit different conditions. We would not describe those as evolution.

moralestapia 4y ago
>We would not describe those as evolution. What do you mean by "we"? Because I happen to have degrees in Genomics and Biology and I would definitely describe that as evolution.
- MattPalmer1086 4y ago
  You are correct, and I misunderstood what the article was saying. I just skimmed the paper itself. I thought it was saying that spiders were simply adjusting the material properties of their glue in response to environmental conditions. This is not evolution. The paper is saying that while the glue genes themselves are largely conserved, the material properties can vary by altering the ratios of protein which are expressed. Presumably this ratio is controlled due to other faster evolving genes (although this is not proven by the paper as far as I can see). I'm not entirely sure if they ruled out whether spiders could in fact adjust their glue in response to changing environmental conditions.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
Hussell 4y ago
Nowhere in the paper does it say that individual spiders are varying their silk composition in response to conditions. The selective expression of proteins is a difference between the two species studied, not between individuals within one species. The title is technically correct: the two species share a lot of glue genes, and the properties of their silks differ due to other genes affecting things like the ratios of glue proteins in the silk, and those genes evolved faster than the glue genes themselves.
- MattPalmer1086 4y ago
  Correct, although I'm not sure if they proved that other genes were responsible for the variation, just that the glue genes were essentially the same between them.
jdmichal 4y ago
I for one definitely go grab the shotgun everytime I hear that "the situation is rapidly evolving" on the news. Someone has to be ready to defend against all those mutants. /s