the big questions

I stumbled upon the Luria-Delbrück experiment (or fluctuation test) today. I had almost forgotten what it was about, though we repeated it in our very first microbiology course at university. It’s so beautiful and so simple. And still it proves that Darwin was right and Lamarck was wrong.

Originally Luria and Delbrück worked with bacteria and their viruses, the so called ‘bacteriophages’. They found that a small subset of bacteria was resistant to these phages, but the results were irritating, because the amount of resistant bacteria seemed to be completely random.

Well, in the early 40ths of the last century, they had no idea about the molecular mechanism of mutations, but they decided to study exactly this randomness. Back then many people still thought that changes in the phenotypes of organisms were induced by the exposure to environmental stimuli. In this case the phages.

If resistance to the phages is induced by exposure to them, equally treated subpopulations of one bacterial population should show the same amount of resistance after the same amount of time. If mutations occur randomly and independent of exposure to the stimulus, those subpopulations should show different amounts of resistance after the same amount of time, because bacteria that mutated earlier, had had more time to grow than those bacteria where the mutation occurred late.

Guess what happened? Right, the amount of resistance differed. The mutations had happened randomly without exposure to the phages. Lamarck had been wrong.

Surprisingly, many people, especially those without understanding of science, won’t be impressed by this experiment. Why? Because it’s only about bacteria? Well, it certainly happens that things that are true in bacteria are a little bit different in eukaryotes, but there are reasons for these differences. In this case there is none (at least not on this level). Both bacteria and humans have imperfect replication systems, thus mutations occur. In both cases they are random and passed on to the offspring.

This is one mechanism of evolution. There is no logical reason why this should stop at an imaginary border, even taxonomists can’t clearly define.

hox genes

here you are, Chris: proof of evolution



There is undoubtedly a relation between the different hox genes important for both drosophila and mouse development. And I don't care if this is the case because some deity thought it would be funny to fake evolution or because mutations, gene duplications and deletions just happen.

And I don't care if this convinces you. But you're free to ask questions, although it would be helpful if you restricted your questions to aspects you actually understood. I guess in your case a good question to start with is: What's the difference between drosophila and mice?

Sorry,

Tilia is busy writing serious science (well, seriously writing science) and somehow science and fiction don't match well. Especially since English isn't her first language (who decided that science has to be published in English? In my time decent scientists spoke German...).

So for the time being she'll restrict her imagination to single-handedly finding the solution to all mysteries of the brain (or at least igniting a small light in the still almost infinite darkness of human ignorance).

Let's assume Ernst is on an extended field trip doing research for the Master of the Underworld. He'll be back and report his discoveries when Tilia finally manages to finish that #*~## work .

Maybe I'll find the time to post some insignificant stuff occasionally just to keep you entertained.

Anna

Körperwelten

My beloved Ernst,

I’m sorry for the long delay, but Tilia had a lot of work to do the last weeks and doesn’t want me to write about her pathetic efforts to make her computer do want she wants it to do. It’s funny. They have so many more possibilities to achieve data, analyze data, store data, they can make some tiny silicium chips do their work for them and still they complain how difficult science can be.
Last time Tilia was really pissed off because the computer refused to analyze something rather simple (she fixed it later and, if you ask me, it was entirely her fault…) she created a taxonomy game and posted it at SMRT. Maybe you’ll like it.
But now it’s weekend and she is almost seriously thinking about spending half an hour on the dark side tomorrow. Well, as dark as a bunch of clergymen can be, there must be a reason why they wear black…
I don’t know if you have heard about the Körperwelten exhibition by Gunther von Hagens. The controversy is already several years old, I think the first of these exhibitions was opened in 1997, but the first big ones were opened in 2003. He shows plastinated human bodies in various positions and in different stages of preparation. It’s a little bit like that anatomical collection you took me once to scare me. Just that they don’t take alcohol anymore to keep the corpses from rotting but polymers (that’s highly advantageous, you don’t need anybody to refill the alcohol, people could even touch the corpse and, most importantly, you get rid of the smell that made me nauseous.
Still, an anatomical collection is there to teach medicine students how the human body looks like, how it works and what can go wrong. To a certain degree it’s good when people are interested in these kind of things, but a full exhibition of corpses in ridiculous (spectacular) poses even (as it is said about the recent exhibition) with two corpses having sex, is a little bit too much, not only for my tender 19th century feelings, but also for Tilia.
Those exhibits were humans once and even if nobody is allowed to speculate about the origin of these corpses and if those people had a choice when they donated them, I wonder if they really realized how they would to be presented. I don’t believe in a soul or a body that will be resurrected on Judgment Day, but I believe in Human dignity. Dead bodies shouldn’t be fun (well, I make an exception for this). Anatomical education for medicine students can’t be done without corpses, but those things shouldn’t be used to entertain or even shock. The human body might be artful, but it’s not art performed by Gunther von Hagens.
The Christians protesting outside the exhibition may have other reasons to do so, but being an atheist doesn’t mean that you have to agree with everything just because it calls itself “science”

Edit: added link

postcards

Anna my love,

Congratulations to Berlin. I’ve heard that the referendum failed. Maybe people don’t like to be lied at…
You’ve probably already seen it, but I got a postcard from God some days ago. A strange guy, that God. Apart from the fact that it’s not nice to open other people’s letters and read them. (Maybe he reads this letter as well and might not like, what he reads, but, hey, what can he do: I am already in Hell…)
Right, maybe he exists after all, but somehow I’ve got the impression that he kind of faked his autobiography. He seems to be one of those guys who tell their ghost-writers stories mainly because they are good to sell and not because they are necessarily true. I don’t know if I believe his claim that Hell was his idea. Hades has been described in detail while the Hebrews still believed in a rather vague “sheol”, Anubis weighted souls before Joseph and his kin ever set a foot into Egypt and the Mayans built their own hell long before they ever heard of any Middle East desert gods.
Honestly, I believe God just bought the whole place when he got popular (and rich) enough and named it after a Norse Goddess because he couldn’t even think of a name himself. We have to give him credit for the fires, though. Brings some light into the place and makes it rather pleasant as long as you stay out of them, especially for a freezing Northern European like me. But I can’t blame him for the thought. Somebody from an arid region must see heat as a punishment.
Still, as cozy as it can be in here (I really like our parties, the philosophers organized a huge welcome party for Arne Naess in January and we scientists just had awesome party for Alexander von Humboldt’s 150th death day on Wednesday. Not to speak of all the Darwin celebrations in February. Wallace and I are always a little jealous at all the attention he gets), sometimes I long for a little fresh air.
My payment adds up for a complete hour now, and I’m actively searching for a place to spend it. Do you have any suggestions?
I really like the Vesuvius and the Bay of Naples, but I’ve been there at least two dozen times during the last ninety years and it’s time for a change. I’ve heard that the Preikestolen in Norway is amazing and it’s been a while since I last saw the Loreley or the Lüneburger Heide, but I’d like to see something really new and spectacular this year. Maybe Satan tells me where to find Bigfoot or the Yeti or at least a real living giant squid.

Always Yours,

Ernst

pro reli

My beloved Ernst,

You probably don’t expect another letter from me so soon, but I’d like to tell you something that really annoys Tilia at the moment.
Tomorrow there will be a referendum in Berlin about…

About what actually? Seems as if the question is something like: “Can Christians make people believe their lies, if they spend enough money promoting them?”

Tilia fears the answer is yes.

There is a lot of confusion what this referendum really is about. Most people seem to think it’s about the question if religion should be banned from school.
Would be good, but, actually, it isn’t.

Religion classes (wrong: Christian religion classes) are common in Germanys schools even today. Berlin is an exception. Religion classes in Berlin aren’t mandatory but optional. This works since 1948. Since over 60 years. More than twice the time I have been a human. But three years ago the government of Berlin established mandatory ethics classes for all students in addition to the optional religion classes.

And now the Christian churches and some other idiots behave as if that’s the downfall of Western civilization. I don’t really understand their problem. Students can still take religion classes, even if those classes are usually in the afternoon when everybody else already went home.

Ah, now I get it. The question obviously is: “Should we force our children to attend religion classes, they’re not really interested in?” The Christians would object phrasing it like that. They talk about “freedom of choice”. They want each kid to choose between religion and ethics. They even want to provide Islamic and Jewish religion classes. That’s so naïve. They really haven’t thought that through. Are there enough teachers for Islamic religion classes? What about the different Islamic confessions? They like each other less than our dear Ray likes the Catholics. What about minorities? Are they still forced to attend the evil atheistic ethics classes? Can Berlin afford to pay the new teachers?

They’re not discussing but emoting. They even play the communist card. As if the ban of religion from official classes has been an idea of the current government (where the socialists are involved) instead an idea of people from over 60 years ago…

Tomorrow the weather will be fine in Berlin and all the old church-going ladies that bought their churches lies will be up for a little walk (for example to the next election place…). So I’m afraid this referendum will pass. Not because the subject is so damn important (students and teachers don’t care so much about it in general) but because of Christian lies, misinformation and fear mongering.

As always…

Some of the organizers will probably come to you in a few years. Give them a hard time from me…

Speaking about hell: In your last letter you mentioned the Roman-Greek department you have down there. Do the other mythologies have their own departments as well? If there is a Norse one, it would be nice if you could greet Loki. He has still some fans up here.

In eternal love,

Always yours

Anna

motivation

My beloved Ernst,

So you’re still the old skeptic? There are things even death can’t change.
I’ve met some people who think these letters are kind of creepy. So I thought I’d ask Tilia about her motivations with this blog. The funny thing is she really believes she has made us up. Can you imagine that? But apart from that delusion which she refused to discuss further, she told me that this obsession most fundamentalist Christians have with Hell is extremely ridiculous. She grew up among Christians and only those with rather severe mental disorders were afraid of eternal damnation. She feels sorry for everybody who is so scared about being mortal that he has to cling to a vague promise given 2000 years ago. But inventing scary stories about a torture place where everybody ends who doesn’t share their beliefs is not only pathetic but also deranged.
It’s understandable in a way. Meeting people who don’t share your rather unsubstantiated beliefs is frightening if all your life depends on being right about your own immortality. It’s easier if you can make them share your fears and some people need quite drastic descriptions of the horrors of the afterlife to be impressed.
“I’m afraid of dying and you should be, too!” is a weak argument. It makes you look like the coward you are. It’s so much better to tell stories about eternal damnation and torture(especially to little children, they are easiest to impress and less likely to see the flaws in your story). Now you can look like a hero when you tell your trembling audience about the escape you’ve found, even if this escape was promised to his contemporaries by a simple hillbilly end time preacher who lived 2000 years ago. As long as you can point to an even older myths collection that includes so many inconsistent claims, that you can find a quote for everything, all is fine.
But things have become more difficult lately. I mean, even in our time, the educated people read other books than just these pathetic Bronze Age poems. We slowly learned to accept our own mortality (yeah, we were wrong, apparently, but that’s not the point…), we defeated the fear and focused on the life we had. How much more difficult must it be today when everybody has access to so many different thoughts. Nobody with a little brain has the right to see the world in black and white anymore. Pascal’s wager is useless. There are so many different beliefs which could theoretically be right, that our only chance is that there is no afterlife. Otherwise we’ll most likely be wrong and dedicate our life to the wrong deity or just the wrong interpretation.
I completely agree with Tilia, when she says that obsession with Hell is a sign of the sick and simple minded. We others can focus on living a good life, because we want to and not because we’re afraid of eternal damnation.

I hope you enjoy your present location and keep away from the frightening myths.

In eternal love

Always yours,

Anna