I am delighted that we are on the same page again. Sorry I was so slow to
keep up with you. I have only a few comments and that concerns the
evolution of organisms and some computer programs I have on my web page
which attempt to mimic (at a low dimensional level) what must happen in
sequence space.
At 09:48 AM 7/1/98 -0700, Greg Billock wrote:
[snip]
>Selectionists hope that the 'living space' is larger compared to the
>sequence space, because that would give more fodder to natural selection.
>They would be happier to see the 'functional space' smaller, so then
>natural selection could 'thread the needle' into that functionality,
>and it would prove that selection was the dominant force in evolutionary
>history.
>
>Non-selectionists, on the other hand, would like to see a larger functional
>space, and a smaller 'living' space, to decrease the role of selection
>and increase the role of chance, drift, etc. in determining evolutionary
>history.
>
>This is probably one of the most interesting interfaces between molecular
>biology and evolutionary biology.
You left out anti-evolutionists wish to find functional space be isolated
voids (or vugs as we would say in geology about holes in limestones.) In
that fashion there is no way to connect one functional area from another
and it would require either megamutation or divine intervention. But given
the functional map of cytochrome c and other proteins, one clearly has
evidence that the functional map overlaying sequence space is quite
connected like the holes in a sponge.
On my web page I have some computer programs which show how mutations can
accumulate in a 'genetic' lineage and the mutations for a while will make
only minor changes to the screen shape and then suddenly the form changes.
It mimics punctuated equilibrium. It also shows that each time you run it
you can get similar solutions with different genomes.
What is happening in my programs is that the genome travels through
sequence space creating different forms. But similar forms can be found in
different parts of genome space. The programs also make great screen
savers. These programs are a good way to understand what information
theory and mutations do in a genome.
It is at
http://www.isource.net/~grmorton/nonlin.htm
there are lots of pictures.
glenn
Adam, Apes and Anthropology
Foundation, Fall and Flood
& lots of creation/evolution information
http://www.isource.net/~grmorton/dmd.htm