Here's something I haven't seen before: The story of how a single mutation allowed a bacteria to
Naturally, this ability to digest nylon is "irreduceably complex": If you remove any one of the genes involved, it no longer works. Unfortunately for the IDists, we know
how a single genetic mutation gave rise to this ability.
1
This may well be th end of the tracksuit as we kow it.
Posted by: tommy at Sunday, October 16 2005 09:19 PM (EhwJT)
2
It's proof that god hates nylon because of what it did to the wool, silk, and cotton industry.
Posted by: Improbulus Maximus at Sunday, October 16 2005 11:20 PM (0yYS2)
3
Maybe the big G just has a problem with static cling.
Posted by: Pixy Misa at Sunday, October 16 2005 11:42 PM (QriEg)
4
Hmmm, didn't think of that. I do have one question regarding this new bug: All carbon based life forms must intake carbon in order to live, but if these new bugs eat nylon, do they chemically convert part of it to carbon, or do they simply become non-organic life forms? If we can make a life form that is non-organic, then the potential for new applications, such space and deep sea exploration by engineered biomechanical cyberbetic organisms, starts to sound less like sci-fi and more like possibility. Just think, no carbon means no need for oxygen, and though anaerobic carbon-based organisms have existed for a long time, they have remained very primative because if exposed to air they oxidize quickly and die. If a new organism could be built, one with a biomechanical brain and self repairing cellular structure that could ingest raw elements and survive brutal conditions, then we could literally flood the galaxy with them in order to perform basic tasks such as planetary surveys. The possibilities are endless.
Posted by: Improbulus Maximus at Monday, October 17 2005 07:44 AM (0yYS2)
5
I remind you of the X-Files episode in which folks were exposed to a silicon-based lifeform that caused their throats to explode......
I wonder what my tracksuit is thinking right now....
Posted by: David Earney at Monday, October 17 2005 08:35 AM (1douf)
6
Actually, nylon is a polymer of C
6H
13NO (or something similar; there are a few different types of nylon). It's a hydrocarbon, not a silicone.
If there were bacteria that could digest silicones, that
would be impressive.
Posted by: Pixy Misa at Monday, October 17 2005 09:34 AM (QriEg)
7
I was simply bringing up the silicone lifeform for the purpose of making a joke.
I should eschew obfuscation.
Posted by: David Earney at Monday, October 17 2005 10:54 AM (1douf)
8
Okay, but Improbulus Maximus seems to be a little confused. :)
Posted by: Pixy Misa at Monday, October 17 2005 11:16 AM (QriEg)
9
Not confused, just carried away. Because of the way nylon is chemically structured, it is almost impervious to things that are highly destructive to straight organics, and so I was thinking beyond the immediate application. Chemistry isn't my strong suit, but then, Einstein failed math. Do NOT take that as me drawing a parallel either, just pointing out that imagination is important.
Posted by: Improbulus Maximus at Monday, October 17 2005 03:12 PM (0yYS2)
10
Okay, but
I was confused. :p
Posted by: Pixy Misa at Monday, October 17 2005 10:18 PM (AIaDY)
11
What about those microbes that eat steel, check out how the Titanic is being eaten:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4352568.stm
Posted by: RobC at Friday, October 21 2005 05:33 AM (o0N0R)
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