Author: Dimitrios (---.unl.edu)
Date: 06-25-2003 09:45
Nice article! In fact I've enjoyed the whole series so far.
I actually worked in the field of enzyme directed evolution for several years, and I thought I would mention another trick people use that has some good role playing potential.
Molecular biologists who want to understand the evolution of single enzymes will take all the known members of a present day enzyme "family" from different organisms and compare their sequences. Based on the pattern of similarities and differences, there are computer algorithms that will then reconstruct the hypothetical sequence of the ancestral enzymes. The new twist on this approach is that now scientists use DNA mutation techniques to actually create the gene for these ancestral enzymes, and then put these genes into bacteria which start to synthesize the enzyme.
So basically, you're producing in the present day an enzyme that hasn't existed for millions of years.
OK, so its not exactly Jurassic Park, but still...some intersting RPG scenarios there.
The example I'm most familiar with has to do with some distant ancestor of present day horses. Paleontologists had a theory about the diet of these critters and how it would differ from the present day. So someone synthesized the hypothetical digestive enzymes that the proto-horses would have had and tested what sorts of substances they acted on. Sure enough, it independently confirmed what the paleontologists had predicted.
That's a fairly bland example, but I'm sure a supervillain could come up with something more sinister:)
Dim
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