RE: 'Directed' evolution?

Arthur V. Chadwick (chadwicka@swau.edu)
Wed, 23 Sep 1998 17:47:08 -0700

At 04:40 PM 9/23/98 -0600, Kevin wrote:
>Greetings Art:
>
>"It is a designed in system which contains the ifnormation necessary to
>splice together existing information in diffeerent ways. That is hardly
>what anyone has in mind for an increase in information, and you know that,
>if you reflected on what you wrote."
>
>Ah, but once again, the genetic material may not be new, but the resulting
>function is, especially if the function is to recognize an antigen that
>never existed before. Influenza viruses change their antigens all the
>time, yet the immune system always seems to be able to create molecules
>that can recognize them. These new functions constitute new information.

That is your definition of what is information. It is however a moot point
since it is not heredible in any case.
Art
http://biology.swau.edu