Does DNA contain a building plan?

[volvo179]

In a recent Radio 4 programme Jonathan Miller and Richard Dawkins discussed how termites build their mounds.   It was suggested that each termite had a simple rule such as if you find one piece of material add another one to it but they didn't know how the termites knew that the mound was complete and therefore time to stop obeying the rule.  Neither did they know how in a developing embryo the cells producing any organ knew when it was time to stop. The genes programme the amino acid production that make up the protein molecules but where is the programme stored and passed on through the generations that determines whether the proteins build a fish or a flower?   

[Peter Pedant]

Oh God good question V

I really want to know the answer to this, as I have asked it myself often enoug without getting v far.

Now.... there are HOX genes, which are highly conserved - this means that there is no change as evolution proceeds and generally is reckoned to mean that they are important. And basically they program the structure of  drosophila/zebra fish/caenorabditis in order of head - thorax-abdomen.   (kind of thing)

This is probably not what youre looking for.....

The rule for termites is contained in a study called ethology. The books on this, I have not found all that interesting. The rule for birds flying in a V might be, "I need to place my beak near a wing tip."

This could even work for the bird at the tip of the V - who presumably also thinks I must head south.

DNA basis for ethology, instinct and inherited behaviour. Forget it, there isnt any. Lesh Nyhan children self-harm and lack a protein called HGPRT but there hasnt been any progress on that for 40years.

[volvo179]

Peter.  Thanks for that.  I am not actually god - if I were I guess that I would know the answer!!

Your comments on the HOX genes is a clear reminder to us of how little Man knows about how genetics works. We have the alphabet, but haven't much idea of the syntax and virtually no idea on the semantics!

[MargeB]

That's because it's God's own language, the language of life. We will never understand it.

[janesmythe22]

MargeB (related to your 'ignoramus et ignorabimus' point of view)-personally I prefer David Hilbert's:�Wir m�ssen wissen, wir werden wissen�, (genetics just being a part of it), but it's me.

[MargeB]

I don't subscribe to that view, just putting it in before one of our growing number of god botherers puts it in first.

I get the Latin, not the German, care to fill us in?

[janesmythe22]

Right, MargeB. It should read something like �We must know, we shall know.�