Origin of the Genetic Code: What we do and do not know

Here is the collaboration we did on Stephen’s channel: https://youtu.be/eJCmerK0DjQ

This is, I think, the most useful video I have produced here on the Stated Casually channel. It discusses, in depth, what we do and do not know about the origin of the genetic code. So far as I know, this topic has never been presented with a general audience in mind.

Stephen and I start by discussing common misunderstandings about the genetic code. We dive into Signalling Theory and how communication systems evolve between organisms and even between genes. We end by discussing the nature of the Genetic code and what is known about its origin.

Here is Stephen’s game: Debunked https://www.debunkedcardgame.com/

Here is the direct link to Stephen’s old video we have since corrected: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2leoi54i4s

Papers worth reading:

If you want to do a deep dive into the origin of the ribosome (and the entire translation system), this is the paper for you. It outlines the origin of the structures that use the genetic code: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/341198205_Root_of_the_Tree_The_Significance_Evolution_and_Origins_of_the_Ribosome

For details on the evolution of biological communication, this is a great paper: http://www.esalq.usp.br/lepse/imgs/conteudo_thumb/Defining-biological-communication.pdf

For an overview of code biology (which I partly agree with), check out this paper by Marcello Barbieri: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/257780019Code_Biology-_A_New_Science_of_Life

Here’s a great overview of thinking on the origin of the genetic code from a code perspective: https://iubmb.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/iub.146

00:00:00 Intro
00:04:04 Welcoming Stephen Woodford
00:06:27 The Creationist Argument
00:38:11 Overview of Signalling In Biology
01:19:49 How Signalling Systems Emerge
01:41:24 Linguistic Properties of the Genetic Code
01:57:27 The Origin of the Genetic Code
02:07:33 Closing Remarks