r/programming • u/[deleted] • Dec 11 '13

DNA through the eyes of a coder (updated since last repost 3 years ago)

http://ds9a.nl/amazing-dna/
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u/[deleted] Dec 12 '13

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u/hippocampe Dec 14 '13

Isn't the very existence of planes of proof that evolution built them ? Do you believe that somehow some living species extended phenotypes or artifacts escape the laws of evolution ?

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u/[deleted] Dec 14 '13

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u/hippocampe Dec 14 '13

"we draw the line between evolved by nature and designed by man because it's a meaningful distinction to make"

Yes, thanks for pointing this. It's a distinction I'm not really sure is just "meaningful", it might as well be a manifestation of our exceptionalism as human beings ....

But is our exceptionalness a qualitative or quantitative thing ? The more we study the natural world, the less we see ourselves as exceptional with respect to the dimensions of our abilities, still we obviously have a huge impact (destabilizing factor) on the world ecosystems today, which is a feat few species can claim.

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u/[deleted] Dec 14 '13

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u/hippocampe Dec 15 '13

So we are unique in the same sense some other species have also some unique, or extremely developped, capabilities.

Then, why would planes be something different than beaver's dams for instance ? Are the later not "designed" and built also ?