Re: virus: Un-natural De-selection

Tim Rhodes (proftim@speakeasy.org)
Wed, 20 Aug 1997 09:33:12 -0700 (PDT)


On Mon, 18 Aug 1997, Brett Lane Robertson wrote:

> >Brett, do you believe that *DNA* is the agent for biological evolution?
>
> As DNA is made up of chained proteins and energy bonds; no, energy must have
> predated DNA as an evolutionary blueprint.

The term "energy" has been widely mis-used and abused in its short life
(what is it, 50? 75 years old?).

Reed is a much better person to tell you about chemical bonds than I (who
never even took high school chemistry), but I think it is important to
realize that the "energy" that holds a DNA chain together is no more
mysterious than the chemical bonds that allow the poisionus Chlorine and
Sodium molecules to join and form table salt (sodium-chloride). Wondrous
yes, but mystical, no.

"Energy" means specific things when used in chemistry or physics. And
those uses /are not/ always interchangeable.

-Prof. Tim