Thank you!

If anyone can make an actually cute and good plushie of this ant I will pay whatever it takes to acquire it

Could you explain the errors here for us brain laypeople so we can be a little less likely to be duped by AI figures?

Thank you! Your hydra were an inspiration :) they're such amazing animals that really challenge the simple stories we tell about life.

I'm well aware of Levin's work, but you can't mention everyone in every story ;)

It does show that shorter (and therefore easier to chance upon, whatever origin hypothesis you prefer) RNA sequences can self-replicate then was known before. That seems relevant to me, even if it doesn't tip the scales in favor of any particular origin scenario.

Thank you! And wow, McClintock's description is great (maybe because it isn't too metaphorical?). The recursiveness she gets at there is so important, and it's something I didn't have the space to get into in my essay except very superficially with the M.C. Escher staircase comparison in the end.

Photo source: www.alexanderwild.com/Ants/Taxonom...

The essay is finally up! Here's a link: pioneerworks.org/broadcast/ge...

No it is way more metal than that

If you want more "the genome is not a blueprint" content, check out my essay about the weirdness of having two X chromosomes.

It also features calico cats, if you are the kind of reader who needs to be bribed with cute animals 🐈

Thank you to @anaisbailles.bsky.social for talking to me about hydra (and sharing her beautiful photos). Their wonderful weirdness inspired this whole thing!

Also thanks to @profsimonfisher.bsky.social, @wiringthebrain.bsky.social, Alan Rodrigues and Amy Shyer for talking to me for the story.