Evolution in 1-2-3

1) Descent with modification
2) Adaptation and natural selection
3) Speciation
 

Example

DNA code - 2229 base pairs (pool of 4 aa)

ATGTCGGTTGCCGAGACGCTGCCGCTTCGAGCGCGCTCGC
CCACCGCACAGAAGAGCTCGCAACCTGCCGGTGTTCCTAA
GGAGAAGCACACCGTCCACTGGTTCAGGAAGGGTCTCAGA
TTACATGATAACCCGGCCCTGAGAGAGGGGCTCGTTGATG
CGACAACTTTCAGATGCGTCTTCATTATAGACCCATGGTT
CGCCAGCTCGTCTAACGTCGGCATTAATAAATGGAGATTT
CTATTACAATGTCTTGAGGACCTAGACAAAAACTTGAGGA
AATTAAATTCCCGTTTATTCGTGGTGAGAGGTCAGCCGGC
AGACGCTCTGCCGAAGTTGTTTCGTGAGTGGGGAACCACT
GCGCTGACCTTCGAAGAAGACCCTGAGCCCTACGGCCGGG
TCCGGGACCATAATATTATGACCAAATGCCGCGAAGTCGG
TATTCAAGTAACTTCAAGAGTATCACACACCTTGTACAAA
TTAGATGATATAATTGAGAAGAATGGTGGTAAGGCGCCGC
TGACCTATCATCAGTTCCAAGCGCTGATAGCGAGCATGCC
CCCGCCTCCGTCCGCCGAACCCACCATCAGTTTGGAGACA
CTCAACCGCGCCGTTACACCTATCTCGGATAATCACGACG
AACGATTTGGAGTGCCGACACTCGAAGAACTTGGCTTCGA
TACGGAAGGTCTTAAACCTCCAATATGGATCGGCGGAGAA
AACGAAGCTCTGTTGAGACTAGAACGACATTTGGAGAGAA
AGGCTTGGGTCGCTTCGTTCGGAAGACCGAAGATGACGCC
AGAATCACTCTTGTCGAGTCAAACGGGCTTGTCACCTTAT
CTCAGATTTGGTTGTCTATCGACGAGACTTTTTTACTATC
AATTGAGCGAGCTCTATAAAAGGATAAAACAGGAACGCCC
GCCGCTGTCACTCCACGGTCAGATACTTTGGAGGGAATTT
TTCTATTGCGCTGCAACCAGAAATCCAAATTTCGACAGAA
TGGAGGGTAATCCGATATGTGTCCAAATACCGTGGGAAAA
AAATCAGGAGGCTCTCAAGAAATGGGCTAACGGTCAGACT
GGGTTCCCGTGGATAGACGCTATAATGATCCAACTTCGCA
ATGACGGTTGGATCCATCACCTGGCGAGGCACGCGGTCGC
CTGTTTCCTCACGAGGGGGGACCTCTGGATCTCGTGGGAA
GAAGGCATGAAGGTGTTCGACGAGCTGCTGCTGGACGCCG
ACTGGTCTGTGAACGCTGGCATGTGGATGTGGCTCTCATG
CTCGTCTTTCTTCCAGCAGTTCTTCCATTGCTACTGTCCA
GTGCGGTTCGGACGAAAAACTGACCCTAACGGAGATTTTA
TTAGGAAGTACATCCCAGTCCTTAAAAACATGCCCACGCG
ATACATTCACGAGCCATGGGTATGTCCGGAGGAGATTCAA
AAATCTATTCGCTGCATAATAGGAAAGGATTACCCAATGC
CTATTGTTGACCACACTAAGGCATCGGAGATTAACCTTGA
GCGCATCAAGCAGGTGTACGCACAACTAGCGAAGTTTAAA
CCTCAAGGTGCACTAATTCCGCAAATGTTGCAAAGACCAA
ATGTGTTGCAGTCATCGCCCAGCCCAACGTCTATAATTGC
AAATATAAATCAGTCTAACTACCTGTGTAGTCAGAGTAGT
GATGTGCCCACGCCGACTAATCAAACGACGAATCAATTCA
AAGAAGATGCTGTATTCCTTAAGCCCACAGTGAATAACAT
AAAATCAAATGTGGATAAACAGCAACAGTTCAAGCAAGTT
GTTATTGTGCAGGAGGATAAACATTCAGAAAATCAGCGAC
ATTCGGTTGGTAACAAGTACATTGTAAATGAAATAAACAA
AAATATTAATGATATACCGGTCAAACAAAACAATTATGAC
TTCAAAGCTCTGACATTAAATTTGAATAAATTTTCAAATG
AGCCCTTAACATTTTTGAATCAGACGCCAAATAAAAATGA
AAGTTTTGGGCAGGATGTTAATAATGTGATAGATGTGTAT
AGTACCAGCAAACCAAAGTTTTACTTCACCGACAATGGAG
TTATAACTCACAATGAAAATGCACAAACTTTTAAAAGGGA
TAGTTATTCAGATAATTATAATAAAGAGAGTACCGGGTCT
AACAGAGTTGGCGAGGTACACAGTAATAACCCACAAACAG
ATAAGATCTCATCGGAAAAGAAAAATTAA

Protein - 742 amino acids (pool of 20 aa)

MSVAETLPLRARSPTAQKSSQPAGVPKEKHTVHWFRKGLR
LHDNPALREGLVDATTFRCVFIIDPWFASSSNVGINKWRF
LLQCLEDLDKNLRKLNSRLFVVRGQPADALPKLFREWGTT
ALTFEEDPEPYGRVRDHNIMTKCREVGIQVTSRVSHTLYK
LDDIIEKNGGKAPLTYHQFQALIASMPPPPSAEPTISLET
LNRAVTPISDNHDERFGVPTLEELGFDTEGLKPPIWIGGE
NEALLRLERHLERKAWVASFGRPKMTPESLLSSQTGLSPY
LRFGCLSTRLFYYQLSELYKRIKQERPPLSLHGQILWREF
FYCAATRNPNFDRMEGNPICVQIPWEKNQEALKKWANGQT
GFPWIDAIMIQLRNDGWIHHLARHAVACFLTRGDLWISWE
EGMKVFDELLLDADWSVNAGMWMWLSCSSFFQQFFHCYCP
VRFGRKTDPNGDFIRKYIPVLKNMPTRYIHEPWVCPEEIQ
KSIRCIIGKDYPMPIVDHTKASEINLERIKQVYAQLAKFK
PQGALIPQMLQRPNVLQSSPSPTSIIANINQSNYLCSQSS
DVPTPTNQTTNQFKEDAVFLKPTVNNIKSNVDKQQQFKQV
VIVQEDKHSENQRHSVGNKYIVNEINKNINDIPVKQNNYD
FKALTLNLNKFSNEPLTFLNQTPNKNESFGQDVNNVIDVY
STSKPKFYFTDNGVITHNENAQTFKRDSYSDNYNKESTGS
NRVGEVHSNNPQTDKISSEKKN

The task of this very small protein is DNA repair. It is found in the Monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus. whose DNA contains 15.130 genes. The DNA of a human being (i.e. space shuttle) contains approximately 25.000 genes which code for some 2 million different proteins.

The ENCODE project revealed that over half the human genome is read backwards as well as forwards. Due to a phenomenon called gene overlap, a typical gene consists of roughly seven overlapping transcripts with different start and stop positions. One single mutation thus affects up to seven functions simultaneously. This explains why detrimental mutations are so abundant compared to beneficial ones.

However, a protein can maintain its shape and function even if one or two mutations occur in the sequence. In order for a protein to change shape, i.e. get a new function, more than six mutations must occur simultaneously.

The configuration space of a protein consisting of 200 amino acids is 10²⁶⁰ possible combinations. By comparison, the total number of events that have occurred since the origin of the universe is 10¹⁵⁰ (age in seconds * number of elementary particles * possible interactions per second).

This proves that a protein has an immense capacity to change shape despite the probabilities against it.

The Tree of Life

http://tolweb.org/Life_on_Earth/1
http://tolweb.org/Eukaryotes/3
http://tolweb.org/Animals/2374
http://tolweb.org/Bilateria/2459
http://tolweb.org/Deuterostomia/2466
http://tolweb.org/Chordata/2499
http://tolweb.org/Craniata/14826
http://tolweb.org/Vertebrata/14829
http://tolweb.org/Gnathostomata/14843
http://tolweb.org/Sarcopterygii/14922
http://tolweb.org/Terrestrial_Vertebrates/14952
http://tolweb.org/Amniota/14990
http://tolweb.org/Synapsida/14845
http://tolweb.org/Therapsida/14973
http://tolweb.org/Mammalia/15040
http://tolweb.org/Eutheria/15997
http://tolweb.org/Primates/15963
http://tolweb.org/Catarrhini/16293
http://tolweb.org/Hominidae/16299
http://tolweb.org/Homo/16418
http://tolweb.org/Homo_sapiens/16421