Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!oddjob!ncar!husc6!bloom-beacon!athena.mit.edu!ayermish From: ayermish@athena.mit.edu (Aimee Yermish) Newsgroups: sci.bio Subject: Re: Evolution Keywords: evolution, organelles Message-ID: <6207@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU> Date: 14 Jul 88 22:35:52 GMT References: <5944@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU> <112@feedme.UUCP> Sender: daemon@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU Reply-To: ayermish@athena.mit.edu (Aimee Yermish) Distribution: sci.bio Organization: Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lines: 18 No one seems to have mentioned the idea about organelles having previously been independent prokaryotes that entered into symbiotic relationships. Several organelles (for example, mitochondria, which do cellular respiration (for you CS-types, a serious win when it comes to using glucose efficiently), and chloroplasts, which do photosynthesis (another big win, 'cause it making food is easier than finding it, and CO2 is cheap)) have their own DNA. I'm not sure about the chloroplasts, but the triplet code for amino acids is slightly different in mitochondrial DNA. What exactly that means is still somewhat up in the air, though. --Aimee ------------------------------------------------------------------ Aimee Yermish ayermish@athena.mit.edu MIT couldn't care less about anything I say. (as long as I finish that last paper...)