"Guy Hoelzer"  wrote in message
news:ci7mqj$24pp$1{at}darwin.ediacara.org...
> Hi Tom,
>
> in article ci5cnf$1e26$1{at}darwin.ediacara.org,
TomHendricks474 at
> tomhendricks474{at}cs.com wrote on 9/13/04 5:07 PM:
>
> > People define life as a replicating process.
> > I ask what is it replicating? The best answer
> > is a metabolic system.
> > Then shouldn't we look for the origin
> > of the metabolic system?
> > Again it goes back to the sun/heat cycle
> > on a liquid water filled planet.
>
> Nice post.  I agree completely that this is the essence of
organismal
> reproduction, although I think that the term "replication"
implies a
> fidelity that is too great to accurately describe
organismal reproduction.
> I would also like to point out that whole organisms are
not the only thing
> reproduced in the process.  The term replication is more
often used to
> describe the templated copying of DNA, because mutation is
so rare (at least
> in modern organisms) that fidelity is much higher than it
is for the
> structure of the overall metabolism.  So I am comfortable
saying that the
> DNA is replicated, but the organism and its metabolic
structure is
> reproduced.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Guy

Yes, to both you and Tom. Another way of talking 'bout it
though, other than in terms of raw materials, is what's
replicated is the blueprint for the structure which will be
the organism (house), including (stapled to) the work
flow-sheets (work-plans) for building it. Note, this
automatically includes any accidents (mutations, external
physical damage etc.) which occur to the blueprint, or the
work-staff, prior to, and during, the building process.
Thus, workmen spilling their morning coffee on the plans is
already pre-accounted for (and even expected at times.)
:))         ...tonyC
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