Sublime

humans. Within the core of DNA are genes, which “carry” the characteristics one has inherited from one’s

Now for a wild fact—only about 5 percent of DNA constitutes genes. The remaining 95 percent? The dizzyingly complex on/off switches, the means by which various environmental influences regulate unique networks of genes, with multiple types of switches on a single gene and multiple genes being regulated by the same type of switch. In other words, mo

and natural selection rewired its network. One of the simplest means by which E. coli’s network can be rewired is the accidental duplication of a chunk of DNA. In some cases, the duplication may create two copies of the same switch. If the gene for one of those switches mutates, it may begin to control a different gene. In other cases, extra copies

He was saying that the only way to understand organisms was to see them as mortal and temporary vehicles used to perpetuate effectively immortal digital sequences written in DNA. A

operon meaning a set of genes that are all regulated by the same switches.

“Growth, Innovation, Scaling, and the Pace of Life in Cities,” by Bettencourt, et al. A thoughtful layperson’s introduction to Kleiber’s law and its application to urban culture can be found in George Johnson’s “Of Mice and Elephants: A Matter of Scale.”

Traditionally, science seeks order by understanding the simplest parts of a system. How does a single gas particle behave given a certain temperature? Which gene in our DNA determines eye color? Scientists then try to develop theories that explain more general observations based on their detailed understanding of the individual parts.

Epigenetic regulators, such as culture, are superior to genes in that they are more flexible and can adapt more rapidly.