Life of Riley: How about that!

July 12, 2000
Issue 

Life of Riley

How about that!

Genome! Hi! I'm so glad you could drop in for a chat. It's simply marvellous that a celebrity like you can spare a moment from your busy schedule to talk to us. I'm sure that all my readers would love to hear what you have to say about anything you care to mention.

You know, it's ironic, isn't it? Here we all are busting our guts trying to work out what's wrong with the world and all the time it was under our skin! Just like the bard says: "It is not in our stars but in ourselves that we are underlings".

How about that? Bill Shakespeare knew a thing or two about genetics. He sure did. "In ourselves", now that says it all. We don't need fortune tellers' mumbo jumbo to work that one out. It's all to do with DNA, right?

Genome — Yes. That's right.

And DNA is, for those who don't know, what makes us tick. It's the building block of life. Something like Leggo, really — you put it all together and make life forms — good old, down to earth carbon-based life forms. Cabbages and kings. You, me and the other fella have got a lot to thank Genome here for.

— We get around.

You sure do! You're everywhere, Genome, everywhere! Making us what we are today. We're all made up of little hardworking Genomes doing in life what they are supposed to do.

— Telling you what happens next.

It's like knowing the plot isn't? It's like knowing the plot in the great novel of life! Every twist and turn, all those surprises are really not so new after all, but reincarnations of days gone by.

— Biologically speaking, yes.

How about that! It's nature after all.

— 'Fraid so.

And Nurture is ...?

— Neither here nor there really.

Not even a smidgin? Not even 25%? 10%? How about that! So all this time we humans have been looking in the wrong places for the good life. Except maybe them Hindus; they must have known more than they were letting on. Busting our guts bringing up the kids when it was all a question of pedigree. So if I wanted to know what was in store for me all I would have to do is ...

— Bleed into a bottle or spit into a mug.

How about that!

BY DAVE RILEY
<http://www.ozemail.com.au/~dhell>

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