From: me22over7@gmail.com   
      
   On 30/12/2025 2:54 pm, MarkE wrote:   
   > To reiterate and focus previous discussion:   
   >   
   > 1. A human is a system of staggering functional complexity* (as are   
   > many/all living things)   
   >   
   > 2. The claim that the human genome is 10% functional gives total genomic   
   > information to specify this system as only 80 megabytes:   
   >   
   >      3.2 billion base pairs x 10% x 2 / 8   
   >   
   > Of course, nonlinear information translations, fractal formation of   
   > capillary networks etc are involved in development from the zygote. Even   
   > allowing for this and other mechanisms, what amount of information is   
   > needed to specify a human?   
   >   
   > My argument is, the genome alone is nowhere near enough, from what we   
   > know of the information needed to specify vastly simpler systems   
   > designed by humans, even with the acknowledged difficulties in making   
   > comparisons.   
   >   
   > Therefore, I propose that the ovum itself as a physico-chemical whole   
   > must also be a major source of developmental information embedded in a   
   > three-dimensional distribution and structure of complex molecules   
   > (cytoplasm, organelles, membrane; RNA, proteins, lipids, sugars).   
   >   
   > My deduction is, the ovum contains a large amount of information for the   
   > development of a "generic" human (i.e. the subsystems listed below*);   
   > the DNA also (presumably) contains information for the development of a   
   > generic human, as well as most/all the information for family traits.   
   >   
   > This is not an argument from incredulity, rather, the burden of proof   
   > rests with the claim that 80 MB in DNA is sufficient. Read the summary   
   > below carefully, noting it is just that: a summary and tip of an iceberg   
   > of a system of "deeply interdependent, multiscale biological   
   > architecture, in which trillions of components are dynamically regulated   
   > with molecular precision to maintain stability, adaptability".   
   >   
   > If my contention is correct - to any degree - then this would obviously   
   > have fundamental implications for the current theory of evolution, and   
   > indeed our understanding of ourselves and life itself.   
   >   
   > No denying that this appears to be a grandiose claim. Counterarguments   
   > welcome.   
      
   As I've mentioned before, what I'm suggesting accords with Dennis   
   Noble's perspective (e.g. https://youtu.be/aELkemLP6XQ?si=Jv6axjFbR98m33uv)   
      
   Also, Philip Ball's book "How Life Works: A User’s Guide to the New   
   Biology", which proposes a shift away from genetic reductionism, and   
   assess that the literature has already passed "peak gene".   
      
   Don't be alarmed - Ball nonetheless asserts his evolutionist   
   credentials: "I believe we are at the beginning of a profound rethinking   
   of how life works. Far from being some new paradigm that threatens   
   Darwinism (or more generally, evolutionary theory), it is a rather   
   glorious extension of it . Frankly, I think we have underestimated   
   evolution."   
      
   > PS   
   >   
   > If I understand correctly, the mainstream view of development does   
   > consider genome + maternal provisioning + epigenetic state + physics +   
   > environment, with heredity dominated by DNA sequence. A key question   
   > then is, does the egg carry substantial additional *heritable*   
   > specification for the “generic" human that is not already accounted for   
   > as a downstream product of the genome and known inheritance mechanisms?   
   >   
   > _______   
   >   
   >   
   > * The human body comprises 11 major physiological systems, each   
   > exhibiting high functional complexity through scale, precision, and   
   > cross-system integration.   
   >   
   > 1. The *nervous system* provides rapid information processing, with ~86   
   > billion neurons and ~10¹⁴–10¹⁵ synapses enabling millisecond-scale   
   > control while consuming ~20% of resting metabolic energy. Humans possess   
   > ~2–3× more cortical neurons than great apes, and this difference alone   
   > implies orders of magnitude greater combinatorial processing capacity,   
   > given synaptic scaling; human prefrontal cortex expansion to ~25–30% of   
   > the total cortex gives disproportionately dense long-range connections   
   > enabling abstract reasoning, symbolic thought, counterfactual planning,   
   > and recursive language.   
   >   
   > 2. The *circulatory system* sustains organism-wide transport via   
   > ~100,000 km of blood vessels and a heart that beats ~100,000 times per   
   > day, continuously distributing oxygen, nutrients, hormones, and immune   
   > cells.   
   >   
   > 3. The *respiratory system* enables gas exchange through ~300 million   
   > alveoli generating ~70 m² of surface area, processing ~10,000 liters of   
   > air per day.   
   >   
   > 4. The *digestive system* converts food into bioavailable energy along a   
   > ~9 m tract, with ~30–40 trillion gut microbes and ~30–40 m² of   
   > absorptive surface area in the small intestine.   
   >   
   > 5. The *endocrine system* coordinates long-range regulation using   
   > hormones effective at picomolar–nanomolar concentrations, exerting   
   > organism-wide control through nested feedback loops.   
   >   
   > 6. The *immune system* provides adaptive defense with ~10¹¹–10¹² active   
   > immune cells and the capacity to generate >10¹² distinct antibody   
   > variants with long-term memory.   
   >   
   > 7. The *musculoskeletal system* enables movement and structural support   
   > through ~206 bones and ~600 muscles, with continuous mechanical loading   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
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