Molecular taxonomy: on way out?

[Les at]

Response to Richard Zander:

>Hang on, now. It's the interrelationships of the genes, promoters,
>regulators, and whatnot that determine the phenotype which is the focus of
>evolutionary selection. I get an implication from your sentence (below),
>Les, that ALL available information is now relatively accessible.
>Phylogenetic analyses that evaluate accumulations of mutations in junk DNA
>may not be tracking phenotypic expressions of variously regulated exons.
>Interrelationships ("phenomics") are hardly relatively accessible at the
>present time.

Well, it is relatively accessible, in the sense that the "whatnots" are
being sorted out - it's only a matter of time. Meanwhile, good taxonomic
classifications (when accompanied by detailed group descriptions!) should be
helping point molecular biologists in the right directions for getting
handles on them. In this connection, I can't resist drawing attention to the
fact that the inappropriateness of their term "junk DNA" (belatedly being
debunked) was rather strongly indicated by taxonomic evidence that was
available before the so-called junk was 'discovered'!



Dr. Les Watson
10, Maitland Avenue
Little Grove, Albany,         Email: leswatson at westnet.com.au
WA 6330, Australia            Phone: +61 (8) 98 44 4398