The Genetics of Alphabet Soup: 2 - Placement

Back to the bowl of alphabet soup we go…

Now imagine the process of placing those letters in order. Your

spoon carefully guides each letter into place. Problem: You can’t

get the letter to let go of the spoon. Solution: You jiggle the spoon

and the letter detaches itself. As this process unfolds, you realize

your arms are tired. It takes energy to place the letters and energy

to detach them from the spoon. The molecular letters of DNA come

complete with a rechargeable battery pack: it allows from zero to

three phosphate batteries (mono, di and tri phosphates). Another

requirement of a DNA letter is the controlled ability to move

into a location and parallel park – SELECTIVE PLACEMENT.

An old-style typewriter would mechanically nudge the paper forward with every letter added. One had much more choice with those than the DNA offers - four keys on the keyboard; only three letters for each word, and all the punctuation is done with words. It reminds me of a telegram...

grow more hair STOP please don't stop STOP

Once placed in order, a message - a movement from "point A" to "point B" is possible. The recipient of my desperate telegram knows something that they did not know before. They have gone from where they were to where they are - all under my direction. 

But what if you want to change the sentence ?  What if someone

changes it for you ? How could you be certain that if you copied it

over and over, it would not change ?

In our society, measures are often taken to ensure the quality of our

products or services. In written pieces, editors will use blue ink to

signify a need for change; in newspaper photos we may scribble a

mustache or draw horns on a popular figure; in school we test the

students’ recollective accuracy.

  It’s All About Accuracy

Copyright J.D. Casnig; Permitted use only, please!