Ch. 8: Making Scents

Chris OConnor · Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2008 6:50 pm Post subject: Ch. 8: Making Scents

Ch. 8: Making Scents

Please use this thread for discussing Ch. 8: Making Scents.

yodha · Posted: Fri Jun 13, 2008 5:14 am Post subject:

I was surprised to read that 3% of our DNA is related to olfactory purposes. Though he later explains how the actual importance of smell has decreased for us. However, IIRC in the book he doesn't mention how big a % of the DNA is related to optical purposes. The optics of humans especially can be said to be of increasing importance, so it would be interesting to see the numbers on that.

President Camacho · Posted: Fri Jun 13, 2008 8:55 am Post subject:

I remember reading the chapters on scents and vision and thinking exactly the same thing. I think people get this impression because Shubin stresses the percentage of our genome that is devoted to smelling. He mentions it on at least two pages; 144 and 146. That's more than a 1/5 of the chapter devoted to discussing it. I didn't find anything like that for the eye - which should take up way more than the nose. Shouldn't it?

I tried to find something online about this but I couldn't. Sad


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