James Fischer wrote:

>  The >>isolation<< of specific genes will take time and effort.
> Even then, genes are NOT simple switches.  You can "turn them on and off",
> but the actual results are often highly unexpected.  As an example, you
> turn off the gene for freckles, and find out that the resulting organism
> is much less intelligent, a side-effect well-known to all freckled people.  :)
>
> Here's another problem - humans have about 75,000 different proteins.
> Howcome the human genome only contains about 34,000 genes?  No one has
> an answer yet, but clearly, the "switches" are multi-purpose,
> multi-function gizmos, rather than simple "on/off" switches.
snip
> Sequencing the mouse showed that mice have roughly the same number
> of genes as humans, So we have something like:
>
> Round worm      18,000 genes
> Fruit Fly       13,000
> Mouse           34,000
> Human           34,000
>
> Not what you'd expect, is it?

A Jim notes, he problem is not the mapping of the genes, which is more a
matter of time and computer work. The problem is what does the sequence
mean and how do they interact with proteins.

The genetic makeup of all life on earth is similar, so why do we not
look like bees? It is probably in the combination of gene sequencing and
their relationship to proteins. It is a complex problem.

Most of the research so far on fruit flies is with things that are
physical and can be seen, such as eye color, wing shape, number of
wings,legs, etc.. Behavior is something different. Since even fruit
flies can be taught, behavior may be as much a brain function as genes
and proteins.

Mapping the bees genes is nice, but it will not be any holy grail. It is
on the order of the 747 designer saying that they have identified the
parts needed to build the plane and now it is your problem to put it
together without any knowledge of how the parts go together or what
tooling is needed, and you have no information about the tools. Plus,
they have added twice as many parts that have nothing to do with the
construction of the plane, and you have to figure out the software
necessary to make it all work. It can be done, but it will take much
more time than just identifying the parts.

And it will cost.

Bill Truesdell
Bath, Maine

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