The DNA of Misconceptions

So, this intrigued me from the beginning because it dispelled some misconcpetions I had about James Watson and, well, scientists in molecular biology in general. You hear the name “James Watson” and you immediately think of DNA, or is that just me? I mean, this man (along some guy named Crick) discovered the structure of DNA which, many would argue, has literally changed the world, right? I saw him as a dry, boring, scientific type; a person with whom a non-scientific conversation could never happen.

Well, I was wrong. This guy is funny and smart, which happen to be my 2 favorite character traits. He pushes the envelope and tends to step on toes. He's controversial, mouthy, sarcastic and, well, downright rude sometimes. Needless to say, I was intrigued.

Here are some nice examples:

"Stupidity is a disease and the ‘really stupid’ bottom 10% of people should be cured.” He has also suggested that beauty could be genetically engineered, saying “People say it would be terrible if we made all girls pretty. I think it would be great.”

“If you could find the gene which determines sexuality and a woman decides she doesn’t want a homosexual child, well, let her.” (I don't fundamentally agree with this statement however, I do agree with him having the balls to actually say it.)

“Whenever you interview fat people, you feel bad, because you know you’re not going to hire them.”

"One could not be a successful scientist without realizing that, in contrast to the popular conception supported by newspapers and mothers of scientists, a goodly number of scientists are not only narrow-minded and dull, but also just stupid." (Now that's just funny.)

While speaking at a conference in 2000, Watson had suggested a link between skin color and sex drive, hypothesizing that dark-skinned people have stronger libidos. His lecture, complete with slides of bikini-clad women, argued that extracts of melanin — which give skin its color — had been found to boost subjects’ sex drive. He finished up with this:

“That’s why you have Latin lovers. You’ve never heard of an English lover. Only an English patient.”

So, as you can see, Watson has had his fair share of critics. He claims that any statements made were in some way connected to genetics and he always aimed to prove the point that genetic manipulation can alter things such as weight, sexuality and appearance. For more information or to, god forbid, form your own opinion, check out this article. Let me know what you think.

The Tree of Life

So, I’ve been exploring this “Tree of Life” project. You can explore it by clicking here. This is an pretty cool website that gives you information about different groups of species and the genetic connections between them. You really have to check it out.

The diagram starts off with the root of the tree and this includes organisims such as eukaryotes and eubacteria. It moves on to describe, in detail, the fungi, animal, plant, arthropod and vertebrae species.

Within each category is a diagram of different organisims in this apecies along with a brief description of them. It's such a great way to see the connections between all of Earth’s species. If you know where species have come from can you figure out where they're going?

And just because I love Charles Darwin:

“The affinities of all the beings of the same class have sometimes been represented by a great tree… As buds give rise by growth to fresh buds, and these if vigorous, branch out and overtop on all sides many a feebler branch, so by generation I believe it has been with the great Tree of Life, which fills with its dead and broken branches the crust of the earth, and covers the surface with its ever branching and beautiful ramifications.”

Charles Darwin, 1859