Biologists and Wishful Thinking

From: Reed Konsler (konslerr@mail.weston.org)
Date: Wed 11 Jun 2003 - 14:29:39 GMT

  • Next message: Scott Chase: "Re: Biologists and Wishful Thinking"

    Here's an illuminating excerpt from the August 2001 issue of Scientific American ("Cybernetic Cells," by W. Wayt Gibbs):

    "[M]ost biologists still use computers as little more than receptacles for the surge of data gushing from their robotic sequencers and gene chip analyzers. The 'models' they publish in their journal articles are sketchy caricatures based on the best theory they have: the central dogma that a gene in DNA is converted to an RNA that is translated to a protein that performs a particular biochemical function."

    That would tend to confirm that most biologists are "bottom-up."

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    "We're witnessing a grand-scale Kuhnian revolution in biology," avers Bernhard O. Palsson, head of the genetic circuits research group at UC San Diego.

    "We are so going to get laid by those chicks" avers Sean, self-proclaimed 'ladies man' of the Druid pub in Inman Square.

    Best,

    Reed

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