the imachinative aspects of  genomics

"Sternkarte"des Mikrokosmos

Structural Parallels

There are structural parallels between the imachinations and genomics, because they are both based on just a few elements (3 and 4). The imachinations are structured by the three colours red, green and blue (RGB) which result in addition very complex.

The genetic code is structured by only the four bases adenine, cytosine, guanine, and thymine— often abbreviated as A, C, G, and T. The following page provides a lot of information, how the genetic code is structured: www.genomenewsnetwork.org/whats_a_genome/Chp1_1_1.shtml

   


RGB-space

dna structure

In 1962 James Watson (1928– ), Francis Crick (1916– ), and Maurice Wilkins (1916– ) jointly received the Nobel Prize in medicine or physiology for their determination in 1953 of the structure of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).

Watson and Cricks paper from 2 April 1953: A structure for Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid:
http://www.exploratorium.edu/origins/coldspring/index.html

The race for DNA 1950-53: http://osulibrary.orst.edu/specialcollections/coll/pauling/dna

James Watson and Francis Crick with their DNA model at the Cavendish Laboratories in 1953 (more....)

Still in the dark: junk & non-coding DNA

Today we are still far away from understanding the complexity of the genome. After the first decoding of the human genetic code in 2000 by Craig Venter one of the big surprises was that less genes werde found than expected: “only” about 30.000 genes. The consequence of that discovery was that a human gene has to decode more than just a single function. So the genome is much more complex than thought before.

A further discovery was that the genes cover only about 2% of the DNA. That means that 98% of the DNA do not code proteins. On the first view this part of the DNA appeared useless, so it was referred to as “junk-DNA”. Today we know that certain parts regulate for instance the activity of coding regions.

RNA is normally considered as the transcript molecules to transport the information of DNA sequences to the ribosomes to produce proteins. But there exists non coding RNA as well. Non encoding RNA shows a new relationship between code, structure and function. (more...)

Art & Genetics

Four Plus - Writing DNA, an exhibition celebrating the 50th anniversary of the discovery of the structure of DNA at TwoTen Gallery, The Wellcome Trust/London.
List of bioart projects in the context of microbiology and bioengineering compiled by Stephen Wilson.

Further links 

- genetic transciption: dna -rna - protein
- t
his page demonstrates how the RGB colour system works: http://www.jgiesen.de/javascript/JavaScript/colors/colors.htm
- furhter imachinative discipolines
( more...)
- the basic ideas of
imachination ( more...)

Further readings

- The MUSIC of LIFE, biology beyond the the genome by Denis Noble
- gy beyond the the genome by Denis Noble, Oxford 2006
- Who Wrote the Book of Life? A History of the Genetic Code by Lily E. Kay, Stanford 2000
-We have been very naive, interview with Craig Venter by Stefan Klein, in: DIE ZEIT, 08.01.2009 Nr. 03


Non-coding RNA - a 3-dimensional model of the Tetrahymena ribozyme. (image by SSRL)