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| NeptuneCircle |
 Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2008 6:56 pm Post subject: What exactly are transposons? |
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Forum Freshman
Joined: 22 Oct 2007
Posts: 45
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| I never really understood this concept. What's there purpose? Is it just a way for mutations to occur? How exactly do they jump around? Are they used so that one can have many genese to code a protien? |
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| free radical |
| Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2008 7:01 pm Post subject: |
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Forum Masters Degree
Joined: 24 Sep 2007
Posts: 519
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| Does it help if you think about them as being somewhat analogous to viruses? |
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| NeptuneCircle |
| Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2008 7:05 pm Post subject: |
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Forum Freshman
Joined: 22 Oct 2007
Posts: 45
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| yes i suppose. However viruses are supposed to harm us while transposons are supposed to help us. |
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| Pong |
| Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2008 11:04 pm Post subject: |
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Forum Professor
Joined: 08 Apr 2008
Posts: 1386
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Viruses have a bad reputation, 'cause the troublemakers stand out. They do better helping us or at least waging their turf wars without destroying much.
I'm unconvinced that a normal, healthy organism (including humans) is genetically static. |
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| marnixR |
| Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2008 11:34 pm Post subject: Re: What exactly are transposons? |
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Forum Isotope
Joined: 10 Apr 2007
Posts: 2552
Location: Cardiff, Wales
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| NeptuneCircle wrote: |
| I never really understood this concept. What's there purpose? Is it just a way for mutations to occur? How exactly do they jump around? Are they used so that one can have many genese to code a protien? |
i doubt whether they actually have a purpose - they're just the result of faulty replication and/or viral attack
just because it can have the side effect of causing mutations does not mean that's their purpose
_________________
if you find this place too crowded or too confrontational, how about trying Philosophorum,
the amicable forum where small is beautiful and even the trolls are intelligent
biology without evolution is but stamp collecting |
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| spuriousmonkey |
| Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2008 12:02 am Post subject: |
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Forum Ph.D.
Joined: 12 May 2005
Posts: 746
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Nothing in nature has a purpose.
Lots of things fulfil a function.
A whole load of shit just does stuff.
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“A scientific man ought to have no wishes, no affections, - a mere heart of stone.” |
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| free radical |
| Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2008 7:19 am Post subject: |
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Forum Masters Degree
Joined: 24 Sep 2007
Posts: 519
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