I always think of DNA a lot like programming over the course of millions of years. A strung together series of hackish, barely functioning, uncommented code with no documentation whatsoever. Any reason for why a snippet of code ended up being the way it is has been completely lost to time. All we know is that changing it is bad, certain chunks of code lead to certain behavior, and that the more we look at the code the code spaghetti like it appears.
Does DNA have the equivalent of IF-statements, WHILE loops, or function calls?
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Re: Does DNA have the equivalent of IF-statements, WHILE loops, or function calls?
#52Rather than programming languages it sounds like a nature language.
Re: Does DNA have the equivalent of IF-statements, WHILE loops, or function calls?
#53I’ve worked in a lab of one of the original folks working on genetic logic gates, and honestly, no they don’t really work very well at all.
I think a lot of computer scientists assume that their model of the world (binary logic) is the most abstracted version possible, and you can drill down other information carrying systems to that level, and then use that knowledge to build reliable systems.
Biology does not work that way. Its fundamental abstraction is different (mostly one of massive interconnectedness). Engineering logic gates and the like, mostly, doesn’t actually allow you to build better genetic circuits.
Re: Does DNA have the equivalent of IF-statements, WHILE loops, or function calls?
#54I’ve worked in a lab of one of the original folks working on genetic logic gates, and honestly, no they don’t really work very well at all. I think a lot of computer scientists assume that their model of the world (binary logic) is the most abstracted version possible, and you can drill down other information carrying systems to that level, and then use that knowledge to build reliable systems. Biology does not work…
I'm equating this to condition-less coding, where you're trying to eliminate branching logic with bitwise operators or other math.
Re: Does DNA have the equivalent of IF-statements, WHILE loops, or function calls?
#55I’ve worked in a lab of one of the original folks working on genetic logic gates, and honestly, no they don’t really work very well at all. I think a lot of computer scientists assume that their model of the world (binary logic) is the most abstracted version possible, and you can drill down other information carrying systems to that level, and then use that knowledge to build reliable systems. Biology does not work…
I'd imagine genetically driven behavior would be probabilistic and involve many overlapping duration/threshold "checks"
Re: Does DNA have the equivalent of IF-statements, WHILE loops, or function calls?
#56I’ve worked in a lab of one of the original folks working on genetic logic gates, and honestly, no they don’t really work very well at all. I think a lot of computer scientists assume that their model of the world (binary logic) is the most abstracted version possible, and you can drill down other information carrying systems to that level, and then use that knowledge to build reliable systems. Biology does not work…
I bet there is way more quantum phenomena reasons involved in why that system was selected for being less fragile and having better stability/survaibability for a wider range of cases.
Thinking in classical compute terms there is like asking for robots that inevitably break without the slightest chance of self repair, much less do it at minimal effort.
Re: Does DNA have the equivalent of IF-statements, WHILE loops, or function calls?
#57I’ve worked in a lab of one of the original folks working on genetic logic gates, and honestly, no they don’t really work very well at all. I think a lot of computer scientists assume that their model of the world (binary logic) is the most abstracted version possible, and you can drill down other information carrying systems to that level, and then use that knowledge to build reliable systems. Biology does not work…
I'm equating this to condition-less coding, where you're trying to eliminate branching logic with bitwise operators or other math.
Yeah, except you can only change one line at a time and you lose all of your changes if it doesn't compile at any point.
Re: Does DNA have the equivalent of IF-statements, WHILE loops, or function calls?
#58Alternative splicing is another way of including IF statements. Depending on many conditions some parts of the RNA might be added/removed before the translation
Re: Does DNA have the equivalent of IF-statements, WHILE loops, or function calls?
#59To give a concrete examples
1. The HOXD gene cluster adopts a mutually exclusive conformation. IF it "folds" to the left if results in the formation of digit bones ELIF it folds to the right of arm bones ELSE no bones etc. (very very roughly speaking): https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1234167
2. Another example are olefactory receptors, each olefactory sensory neuron (the cell that "smells") chooses to activate one out of a long array of possible receptors each specific to some smells. So somehow, somewhere a XOR logical operation is "computed" to "pick" https://europepmc.org/article/pmc/4882762
Re: Does DNA have the equivalent of IF-statements, WHILE loops, or function calls?
#60Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm equating this to condition-less coding, where you're trying to eliminate branching logic with bitwise operators or other math.
Yeah, except you can only change one line at a time and you lose all of your changes if it doesn't compile at any point.
Sex changes many lines at a time. But you do die if it doesn’t compile.