Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

Iama_traitor t1_izl93ek wrote

Reply to comment by [deleted] in Are there any viruses that humans must have in/on our bodies in order to stay alive? by [deleted]

OP isn't exactly correct, there is coding and noncoding DNA. Coding DNA makes proteins, noncoding DNA doesn't, but it plays the vital role of gene regulation and expression, codes for all the RNA produced in our cells, and includes all the introns for coding genes. So you can't live without noncoding DNA.

However, there are plenty of paradoxes that first arose, like how closely related species have vastly different genome sizes. Turns out they had roughly the same number of genes, just huge variation in repetitive DNA. So, along the lines you were thinking of, if there's even a .00001% error rate of transcription or mutation and all of your DNA was 100% necessary for survival, there's no way you could survive or reproduce. So large genomes actually end up requiring more and more repetitive DNA to hedge the odds.

1

Neither-Situation t1_izljcmf wrote

In information theory they talk about channel capacity, which sets hard limits on how much information can be transmitted. Is there much knowledge on these limits in DNA coding? can it be different in different organisms, as obviously some lifeforms having a much more restricted range of bodily functions and chemicals available compared to large mammals say.

1