[neilep]

I was wondering exactly what I was? We're made up of billions of cells. Am I just a bunch of cells? Or am I SEAN? Or am I DNA's? Exactly what am I?

You are Sean !!

I'm the one with the identity crisis....I think I'm a sheep !!

[Hadrian]

I was wondering exactly what I was? We're made up of billions of cells. Am I just a bunch of cells? Or am I SEAN? Or am I DNA's? Exactly what am I?

You are Sean !!

I'm the one with the identity crisis....I think I'm a sheep !!

but you are a sheep..................LOL

[neilep]

I was wondering exactly what I was? We're made up of billions of cells. Am I just a bunch of cells? Or am I SEAN? Or am I DNA's? Exactly what am I?

You are Sean !!

I'm the one with the identity crisis....I think I'm a sheep !!

but you are a sheep..................LOL

LOL...yes...yes..I am.......!!..baaaa baaaaaa !!!

Hadrian is great

[Seany (OP)]

I was wondering exactly what I was? We're made up of billions of cells. Am I just a bunch of cells? Or am I SEAN? Or am I DNA's? Exactly what am I?

You are Sean !!

I'm the one with the identity crisis....I think I'm a sheep !!

but you are a sheep..................LOL

LOL...yes...yes..I am.......!!..baaaa baaaaaa !!!

Hadrian is great

Haha, Neil, your great []

Loving this site so much at the moment!

And Neil, thanks for identifying me as Sean, unlike some confusing DNAs lol

[Seany (OP)]

Hmm. I had a good night's sleep last night. But I couldn't stop thinking of what I was again, before getting to sleep.

Since I am made up of trillions of DNA's, what does what work? I feel like only one thing, because I have the ability to move my hands, my neck, to see, to taste etc. I feel like the ruler of the cells and DNA. But is this possible? Seeing I AM the DNA?

[another_someone]

Since I am made up of trillions of DNA's, what does what work? I feel like only one thing, because I have the ability to move my hands, my neck, to see, to taste etc. I feel like the ruler of the cells and DNA. But is this possible? Seeing I AM the DNA?

But this is why I am saying that you are not the DNA - you use the DNA to store blueprints of how to build another you - but it is only the blueprint, not the physical reality.

If I build a motor car, that motor car has a blueprint, but I don't drive the blueprint, I drive the motor car.  I don't even drive the component parts of the motor car (the seat, or the exhaust pipe, or the spark plug), I drive the totality of it, which requires that it be composed of lots of parts that each perform their own function to create the whole.  So too with the human body - you are composed of lots of component parts, but you are the end result of the interelationship between the component parts, but you are not merely one part of you or another, you are all the bits put together.

[Seany (OP)]

Since I am made up of trillions of DNA's, what does what work? I feel like only one thing, because I have the ability to move my hands, my neck, to see, to taste etc. I feel like the ruler of the cells and DNA. But is this possible? Seeing I AM the DNA?

But this is why I am saying that you are not the DNA - you use the DNA to store blueprints of how to build another you - but it is only the blueprint, not the physical reality.

If I build a motor car, that motor car has a blueprint, but I don't drive the blueprint, I drive the motor car.  I don't even drive the component parts of the motor car (the seat, or the exhaust pipe, or the spark plug), I drive the totality of it, which requires that it be composed of lots of parts that each perform their own function to create the whole.  So too with the human body - you are composed of lots of component parts, but you are the end result of the interelationship between the component parts, but you are not merely one part of you or another, you are all the bits put together.

Yes, I totally understand what you said. But, by saying that, you are saying that the motor car still works without the driver. Does our body therefore, work without the DNA's?

[Seany (OP)]

Ah, I think I am trying to think of it too hard. Maybe if I just think simply, something may just turn up.

[another_someone]

Yes, I totally understand what you said. But, by saying that, you are saying that the motor car still works without the driver. Does our body therefore, work without the DNA's?

Does a motor car work without a driver?

Some functions of a motor car will work - the engine will keep running.  A motor car cannot drive itself, cannot repair itself, or fill up with fuel on its own, so its ability to function is very limited.

The DNA within a cell is used, amongst other things, to tell a cell to alter what it is doing (i.e. like steering a motor car), and to allow a cell to repair itself.  If the body ceases the ability to utilise the information in the DNA, then the cells will misfunction (crash - although probably more in the sense of a software crash than a car crash), cannot repair themselves, and will quickly die.

[Seany (OP)]

Yes, well the motor car does not function without it's components.

So do we not function AT ALL without our DNA's? Because from our previous comments, Paul I think suggested that the DNA may have started out as some sort of virus, living in the sea, which needed a revolution and decided to come into our body, in which we have become immuned to it now, and have evolved us.

So does that mean, that we would have been living, even if the Dna hadn't come into our body? Although we wouldn't be living in the same way, like a modern human, we may still be living like an ape, but would we still have lived?

This is just all from assuming that a DNA has come into our bodies as a virus-like form. But I don't think that this is the bestest of all theories so far.

[another_someone]

Because from our previous comments, Paul I think suggested that the DNA may have started out as some sort of virus, living in the sea, which needed a revolution and decided to come into our body, in which we have become immuned to it now, and have evolved us.

So does that mean, that we would have been living, even if the Dna hadn't come into our body? Although we wouldn't be living in the same way, like a modern human, we may still be living like an ape, but would we still have lived?

This is just all from assuming that a DNA has come into our bodies as a virus-like form. But I don't think that this is the bestest of all theories so far.

Not at all.

As we discussed before, there is not that much difference between an ape and a human, so we all need that DNA equally (even a banana needs its DNA).

Even bacteria need their DNA (which is why we also have viruses that only infect bacteria), so for anything to live without DNA, it must be more primitive than a bacteria.  In fact, bacteria also have a little trick that allows them to exchange DNA between themselves by bundling it up into plasmids.  Plasmids allow one bacteria to teach another bacteria how to become resistant to antibiotics (although clearly they have other purposes as well, since they have been around longer than artificial antibiotics have, but they are a way for bacteria, and possibly higher organisms, to exchange DNA information to teach it new tricks in coping with its environment).

[Seany (OP)]

Ah great, that makes it much easier to understand. So.. Can you simply sum up this whole thing? There were various posts suggesting the idea, and I just can't get round the whole thing..

[another_someone]

You wish me to summarise all 71 posts  [] []

[Seany (OP)]

You wish me to summarise all 71 posts  [] []

Hmm, pretty much yes. [] Or a reasonably, simple, sharp, summary. [] Thanks for that! []

[Seany (OP)]

Hey George! Where is the summary of 73-pages? []

[Negin -(Universe)]

Hang on Paul.. a HOST for the Dna? So why does the DNA want to carry on? Again, we are back to square 1. Let's say that we are just ONE Dna? Why does the DNA want to carry on living?

once we die all of our body parts i.e. all the nutrients become part of someone or somthing else so as has been mentioned DNA deffinatly wants to carry on its evolution BUT it is not a living organism just like viruses they are nothing without the host cell. but i guess you could cliam that we become a part of so many other people once we die!!

[Seany (OP)]

Erm, I don't see where you are going at. The nutrients becoming part of someone or something else.. That bit []

[Karen W.]

Food chain starts all over again.. deteriorating soils except we are generally sealed in a casket These days although some caskets are simple wooden boxes that deteriorate quickly. some can be made from titanium and are gaurateed to stay safe from elements forever!!!!
but otherwise what goes into the earth comes back round to the food chain and life goes on..

[Seany (OP)]

Yes.. But DNA's don't do they? It's just the sheer matter of reproduction..

[Karen W.]

I have no idea I imagine Dna is only reproduced as you said through reproduction.. but me really does not know!