THE FUNCTIONAL ORDER 



The Problem 



Life has been equated with a complex hereditary 

 order invoh'ing a specific sequence of nucleic bases. The fiber of 

 nucleic acid, the genetic material, contains the information for the 

 synthesis of enzymes. Each enzyme is a specific sequence of amino 

 acids which performs only one chemical reaction. Growth and 

 multiplication depend on the completion of two sets of processes 

 (Figure 1 1 ). In the first phase, the building blocks — the nucleic bases 

 and the amino acids — are synthesized step by step. In the second 

 phase, the building blocks are assembled in an orderly way into 

 specific proteins and specific nucleic acids. For the first process, 

 only enzymes are required. The second process involves specific 

 templates, DNA or RNA. Thus more enzymes and more nucleic 

 acids are produced. This is growth. When the genetic material has 

 duplicated, the double mother divides into two daughter cells. This 

 is reproduction. 



A bacterium contains about 2,000 genes and 2,000 enzymes. In a 

 factory involving the activity of a few thousand workers, some- 

 body, or something, has to co-ordinate and to orient the activity of 

 the individual units, which, as parts of a whole, are interdependent 

 subunits. If the factory manufactures cars, a given balance must 

 exist between the number of motors, wheels, doors, brakes, etc. 

 Aioreover, the rate of production has to be adjusted to the con- 

 sumption of cars; that is, it depends on extrinsic factors. The units 

 of the factory, the workers, are parts of a whole; that is, they are 



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