Off Topic — HabitableZone

Off Topic » in reply to How? That's the question isn't it?

No. I mean "how"?

Take a simplified model of DNA and genetics to make the discussion simple:

You have a single strand of genetic material that codes for an organism. Its like a recipe or blueprint or computer program. Different parts of it do different things.

To adapt your organism to a changed environment, you have either to edit one of the parts, or to swap one of the parts out with a different sort of replacement. For this to be done on purpose there has to be some biochemical editing machinery. Now we have found some machinery that resists changes - restores damaged DNA to its prior state. We have not found any such machinery that encourages modification to DNA.

So again, how?

Log in or register to post.

The whole thread (35 posts)