Just like in our DNA...

[Konrad Hinsen]

Charles G Waldman <cgw at fnal.gov> writes:

> I realize that this posting is in jest, but I can't help replying to
> it anyhow, to make the observation that if the DNA sequences in
> question are never translated into proteins, then there is simply no
> pressure of natural selection acting either for or against the
> propagation of these sequences; that is, since they represent neither

But you are making the assumption that DNA pieces which are not
expressed as proteins are useless, which is far from evident. DNA is
hardware and software at the same time; it not only represents code,
but also the memory itself. Little is known at the moment about
conditions for mechanical/chemical stability of DNA, for example. The
junk DNA might act as some kind of scaffolding which is essential.
And even the specific sequence could be important because different
base sequences have slightly different structures.

Now what was the relation to Python?  Ah yes, pythons also have DNA ;-)
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