tugging along pieces of this genome

[GoodTaste]

Richard Dawkins tweeted minutes ago:
“We live in a dancing matrix of viruses; they dart, rather like bees from organism to organism, from plant to insect to mammal… tugging along pieces of this genome, strings of genes from that, transplanting grafts of DNA… as though at a great party” (Lewis Thomas).

Source

Can you see "this genome of what"? Considering the pandemic of COVID-19, it seems to be this genome of human being. I am not sure. Can you see what genome simply from this picking from the wider context?

 

[GoesStation]

No. This genome is one unspecified genome; that genome is another. (In speech, "this" and "that" would be heavily stressed.) He means that viruses move strings of DNA from species to species.

 

[jutfrank]

He's basically using an expression of '(a bit of) this and (a bit of) that' in the sense of being non-specific.

... some pieces of this genome, some pieces of that genome. = non-specific pieces of various genomes

(I'm not sure I explained that very well. Maybe someone else can do it better?)


[cross-posted]

 

[probus]

It's worth noting that those are not the words of Richard Dawkins, a very good writer. He is quoting someone called Lewis Thomas.

 

[Rover_KE]

It's all Greek to me. :-(

(No offence to Greeks.)

 

[Tdol]

There's plenty on primate DNA in humans - check out evolution and wisdom teeth - and we share DNA with ants and trees, way beyond species. I guess that is what he means.

 

[GoesStation]

There's plenty on primate DNA in humans - check out evolution and wisdom teeth - and we share DNA with ants and trees, way beyond species. I guess that is what he means.

Actually he's talking about how viruses can transfer DNA between wildly different types of organisms. It's a fascinating area of study.

 

[Rover_KE]

See DNA for Dummies by Jean Poole.

 

[probus]

In one of his books (The Ancestors' Tale, I think) Dawkins guesstimates that we have about 50% of our DNA in common with an oak tree. Amazing!