DNA poem (from English 205 at BSU)

I wrote this for English 205: Poetry Writing at BSU. It was described as "brain vomit" by a fellow student during a feedback session!

DNA poem - original

Deoxyribonucleic Acid

We all came from a zygote. A mass of cells that kept on dividing and dividing, until different organs such as heart, lungs, spinal column, and brain were developed a little bit further. Eventually, in perfect conditions and circumstances, a baby would be born approximately nine months after conception, when the zygote starting dividing, dividing again, always dividing.

We are all human. There is a minute percentage of our DNA that is different from each other, the parts that show whether we are fair-skinned or dark-skinned, other basic things like that. But we all share the same basic genetic structure. Culture, religion, socioeconomic status, etc… that is what divides us. In the end, we stand together or we die together, as one species.

We are all in the same homo sapiens genus and species, which shows that all humans are the same, and that innate differences make up the ethnic, social, and skin-pigmentation differences. How our face and eyes are shaped or how some body types are more well-adapted for colder, harsher climates and some are better for hotter, more humid, drier climates.

This wonderful, vibrant double-helix that is the building block of life, it's awesome just to wonder who or what thought of it in the first place.

In regards to base pairs,

A only bonds to T

and C only bonds to G

Over time mutagens are introduced into the environment, it's inevitable.

This causes genetic drift and mutations.

Darwin's theory of evolution proven.

99 point something percent of our genes are essentially crap because although we know what's in them, we don't know how these proteins either trigger or cause to regress certain attributes of a human being.

Dominant or recessive traits related to certain proteins.

Certain proteins are connected to certain diseases, conditions, etc.

If we can figure out how to control the amino acids and proteins then we might be able to control whether someone gets heart disease later in life, or whether they are predisposed to have anger problems, or whatever the case may be.

In the early 90s the Human Genome Project set out to map the entire human genome. The HGP was funded by the government, but a privately-funded campaign was started also. Craig Venter set out to achieve the mapping of the human genome ahead of the US governmental project, with his company Celera Genomics.

As yet, 92% of it has been mapped out, with factors to consider in terms of the further percentage to go, such as telomeres, which are the ends of genomes and can be highly repetitive. Therefore it will take several more years to fully map the human genome.

In 2004 it was estimated that the human genome has 20-25,000 genes in it, and as more progress is made in this area, that number is expected to fluctuate, possibly drastically.

An often overlooked goal of the Human Genome Project is to study the ethical, legal and social implications of mapping the Human Genome.

Sometimes it might make you wonder what else can be accomplished in the realm of science...

pushing the envelope,

breaking barriers,

coloring outside the lines,

forging forward into new, unknown territories.

The last frontier is not outer space,

It's not the bottom of the ocean or the rain forests in South America,

although those are all very good ideas and should be pursued.

The human body and mind will probably never be fully explored or understood.

But I believe the human body is the last frontier to be discovered and comprehended.