Posted on 07/26/2002 5:04:20 PM PDT by gcruse
Proteins Help Scientists See the Light
Molecules are light-sensitive
FRIDAY, July 26 (HealthScoutNews) -- A newly discovered class of proteins can "see" light, which is helping scientists understand how periods of light and dark affect a living organism's biological clock.
Dartmouth Medical School geneticists say the proteins are revealing how the cellular timekeepers of the circadian rhythm work. The circadian cycles influence sleep, mental alertness, pain sensitivity, body temperature and hormone levels.
The proteins' identification may make possible a genetically engineered drug delivery system to exploit the biological clock, the scientists say.
Jay Dunlap, chairman of genetics, and Dr. Jennifer Loros, a professor of biochemistry, were the first to describe circadian clockwork in Neurospora, a common bread mold.
Allan Froelich, a graduate student with Dunlap and Loros, built on their findings by discovering the light-sensitive clock proteins that affect the activity of certain genes. The proteins have been dubbed "White Collar-1" and "White Collar-2" (WC-1 and WC-2).
Huh?
The article you post has nothing to do with the eye.
It is about circadian rhythmns in a fungus and how they are regulated by light.
Fungus don't have eyes.
From such things, eyes developed.
(Chuckling...) tell us more.
Then I will tell you the actual molecule and organism from which the eye is believed to have developed.
Huh?
I asked you to tell us more about how these molecules involved in circadian rhythm regulation in fungus led to the development of the eye.
I also said I will respond and tell you about what is actually believed about the development of the eye.
So, please, continue...
If proteins can be light sensitive, then I see no way
to truthfully say that the human eye is irreducibly complex.
It could have begun with something similar and evolved
from there. Obviously, I am no biologist. My point
has to do with the tenets of intelligent design. Please
expound on anything you choose, but those are
my thoughts.
Obviously. (Your #8 above pretty much proves you have scientific knowledge).
I like you and respect you for being so straightforward. Most buffooons here don't know anything about it but act as if they do.
The related protein for the eye (major protein) is called bacteriorhodopsin. It is in a light sensitive bacterium. It is very closely related to rhodopsin, the protein of the eye that senses light and transduces the light signals to the brain. A variation on these proteins also are part of a big family of proteins involved in many cell communication events, including neural transmission.
Bacteriorhodopsin would be the molecule you mean.
Sorry. This should be "Your #8 above pretty much proves you have no scientific knowledge".
And, to follow up. I don't think anyone feels the eye developed by assimilation of that bacteria. But the proteins that sense light are essentially the same in that bacterium and in the eye. But there would be too many steps to consider it an assimilation.
Oh, my. Well, that snuffs out life of delusion
and a career of engineering. As for post 8,
I read of a series of experiments that showed
people could tell they were being stared at.
I can't find it again, as it came up during a
search for something else. I didn't really
believe it either, but hey. How's the weather
up there?
I believe that, but the idea the eye is shooting out infrared...?
There are a lot of other possibilities.
And, did they do a comparison to people standing in the same place but with their eyes closed?
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