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Protein Time
There are said to be 75 to 100 trillion cells in the human body.
Each cell contains protein which is made up of amino acids.
Proteins are essential molecules for the existence of physical life.
There are 20 different types of amino acids just as we have 26 letters in our alphabet.
However, if these amino acids are to form a protein they must be placed in a specific order and notjust jumbled up at random. For example, look at the 7 letters of the alphabet below:
NPIRTOE
They convey no meaning at all and must be placed in the correct order if they are to be intelligible.
Obviously it should read: PROTEIN
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T
Imagine we had the 20 amino acids, called for simplicity A to T. Now let us attempt to make a simple protein by mixing a selection of 100 amino acids.
What are the chances of this cocktail of amino acids linking up in the correct order to form a simple protein?
It is approximately 1 in 10130
This simply means a x y z
chance that is l in 10 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000
How can we grasp the enormity of this vast, mammoth number?
The total area of England, Scotland and Wales (E.S.W.) is approximately 90,000 square miles. If we were to cover the three countries with ping-pong balls, one of which is marked on its underside with a red dot, it would take well over 10 000 000 000 000 balls.
But let's use this number for convenience sake. To pick the ball with the red dot, you would stand a chance that would be 1 in 10 000 000 000 000.
This number has been underlined in the enormous protein number above. The odds obviously become greater when we move further along the line.
The zero with the 'X' above it would be 10 E.S.W.s covered with ping-pong balls ~ and you have to find the one with the red dot!
The zero with the 'Y' above it would be one million E.S.W.s !!!!
The zero with the 'Z' above it would be 100 thousand million E.S.W.s !!!!!
The last zero would indicate it's really 'A MISSION IMPOSSIBLE'!!
Anyone for table tennis?
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