Path: utzoo!yunexus!maccs!cs4l3az
From: cs4l3az@maccs.UUCP (....Jose)
Newsgroups: sci.bio
Subject: Re: Evolutionary factors in human psycholog
Summary: Excess Baggage Can Make You Trip and Fall....
Keywords: Genes...  Excess... Pesky...
Message-ID: <1112@maccs.UUCP>
Date: 4 Apr 88 21:11:01 GMT
Article-I.D.: maccs.1112
Posted: Mon Apr  4 17:11:01 1988
References: <1093@bingvaxu.cc.binghamton.edu>
Reply-To: cs4l3az@maccs.UUCP (....Jose)
Organization: McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario
Lines: 31

In article <764@actnyc.UUCP> gcf@actnyc.UUCP (Gordon Fitch) writes:
>would have indefinitely many genes.)  So "neutral" genes would be at
>least moderately negative when the cost of storing and processing 
>the information was thrown in, and would be eliminated before long.  


	"Neutral" genes can cause two problems:
1)  They are additional sites for harmful mutations to occur
2)  Their presence in the cell means the organism has to replicate
   the DNA and segregate the copies into the daughter cells, and the
   more DNA there is the greater the chance that material will end
   up on the wrong chromosome or in the wrong cell.

	Over time, then, organisms which didn't have these added sites
for mutaion should have a greater chance for reproduction.

	There is an advantage to having this excess genetic baggage,
as some of it may be duplicate copies of important genes... sort of
like the back up files you like to keep around, even if they do take up
alot of valuable space on your hard drive.....



					....Jose

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"Fighting for Truth, Justice                         ....Jose Hachezero
and whatever might seem like                 Department of Biochemistry
fun at the time"                                    McMaster University
                                                          cs4l3az@maccs
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