> "(Gamov) reasoned that it would require at least 3 nucleotides for each
amino
> acid to have its own unique codon... Since there are
> 20 different amino acids that have to be specified, codons must contain at
> least 3 successive nucleotides."
>
> But that is backward reasoning. It seems to accept the fact that
> life demanded 20 aa's and 19 or 21 would not do. To me that is
> ridiculous reasoning. It's reasoning that fills in the facts to fit the
future
> goal - or what we think is the future goal. But codons were NOT building
for
> the future.

The ideas of Gamow, Crick, and others were not concerned about evolution,
but rather how DNA->RNA->protein coding took place.  They were arguing based
on known data, namely the 4 base composition of DNA and the known 20 amino
acids that biochemistry was built on.  No teleology required.
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 * RgateImp.MoonDog.BBS at 2/24/04 6:36:12 AM