Willfree

In 1965, Spiegelman conducted an experiment which demonstrated natural selection and Darwinian evolution at the molecular level. You can decide whether it is an appropriate analogy for current global events. Short form: Spiegelman placed the genetic material of a simple RNA virus which normally contains 4,500 nucleotide bases, into a test tube solution. The RNA began multiplying. After a brief period a sample was drawn from this original population and transferred to a fresh test tube. This was repeated across 74 generations. Because the researchers provided a constant supply of sustenance, the RNA no longer needed the genes typically required to infect and feed off a host bacteria cell - life became easy. Instead the only selective evolutionary determinant became the SPEED at which the version of RNA could replicate. Random genetic mutations that resulted in shorter RNA strands (218 nucleotide bases) allowed those strands to be copied much faster than their longer peers. The shorter strands quickly outcompeted the rest. The final ‘monsters’ discarded complex information required to be self sustaining away from the researcher’s largess relying on nothing but raw replication speed to become highly efficient self serving parasites. And there you have it - Spiegelman’s monsters! An appropriate analogy for multicellular ‘monsters’?