While I read about the fascinatingly complicated biochemical pathways involved in DNA transcription and translation, I can't help but appreciate my good fortune. There are a near infinite number of ways to be absolutely screwed over genetically. For example, one unfortunate mutation in the part of the genome that codes for the active site of the threonyl-tRNA synthetase complex would be absolute gg for your body (no I didn't make that up). There are an absolutely insane number of various enzymes that must function relatively perfectly in order for your body to function normally. If I were to type up the manner in which just one molecule is digested, it would probably be longer than this whole post. So who do we thank? Some may say God, some evolution. I'm still unresolved on the question of a higher power, but that doesn't stop me from truly appreciating my good fortune at being relatively healthy.
Some think that science destroys beauty as it reduces everything in nature (the color of fall leaves, the birth of a child, the stunning display of a meteor shower) to its most basic explanation, dissecting macro phenomena to their bare elements. I respectfully disagree. Understanding the underlying concepts and processes behind these phenomena only makes me appreciate all the more the sheer elegance of the world around me. An absolutely astounding number of processes need to work with inhuman precision for me to type this very human blogpost. I realize that this might make little sense, but the next time you're trudging through that required 100 level science course, think about it, you might just see your perspective change too.
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3 comments:
That reminds me of what Dr. Harley said. Some of the ways that biology has come to work makes him believe there has to be a God that's pulling the strings. Deeper research into biology was his reasoning for God's existence. This post's reasoning sort of reminded me of that =b
You should shoot him an e-mail. He'll be happy to hear about this from you lol
word. i studied this for so long when i was in AP Bio, man remembering all the enzymes, and their particular functions during this process, the 3' and the 5'end blah blah.
Very deep post. Try thinking about neurobiology and just how screwed we would be if even one neurotransmitter started showing some attitude :P
amen brother!! im so with dr. harley on this one. and this is why i love biology.
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