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Comedy Central just ran the Dwight Yoakam episode of Jon Stewart again. The first time I saw it, I was a little annoyed and quite amused. The second time I saw it I was a little amused and very much annoyed. I figured I'd go ahead and make a post on it! Dwight Yoakam rambles through a statement that goes something like, "Advances in DNA show that the apes are not closer...we are like a chromosome removed from dogs...they are the closest mammal to man". He claimed to have gotten this information from a NY Times article! First of all, humans can't be, "like a chromosome removed from dogs" because we do not have the same number of chromosomes(or one more/less)! Also, the most likely reference for Yoakam that I found about the genomes of dogs and humans is at www.genome.gov/12511476. The article is, "Dog Genome Assembled". If this is the article Dwight Yoakam is referring to, he has sadly misunderstood the findings. The article states that, "The dog genome is similar in size to the genomes of humans and other mammals...". That hardly qualifies as support of Yoakam's claim that dogs "are the closest mammal to man". Did anyone else get riled about that episode? Has anyone else found any articles that Yoakam might have read to give him these ideas? Does anyone have any theories on why Yoakam would choose to spew such gibberish on TV?*editied to fix link(I think)**if it isn't fixed this time I request that Nick or Chris please edit it to fix it! Edited by: tarav at: 7/7/05 11:36 am

The case seems to be that the genetic composition of most large mammals is around 90% similar. So what? All that means is that genetics is an area in which tiny differences can have massive consequences. The problem with Yoakam and the race levelers is that they are focused on the tiny degrees of difference rather than the massive consequences of these differences. Imagine a million dollar lottery in which you have to choose 2000 correct digits. One person gets 1999 digits right and his friend gets all 2000 right. Was that one digit not significant? Are they both really winners? Bull!

I haven't heard Yoakum on DNA, but overall I think that getting people thinking about it is good. I'd guess half of Dwight's usual audience has never heard of DNA. If you make yourself really small, you can externalize virtually everything. Daniel Dennett, 1984

Oh, I'm sure they've heard of DNA. After all, his usual audience has so much of it in common...Regards,M. Graham Trouble rather the tiger in his lair than the sage among his books.For to you kingdoms and their armies are things mighty and enduring,but to him they are but toys of the moment,to be overturned with the flick of a finger. -- Gordon R.DicksonEdited by: Murray Graham at: 7/21/05 5:41 pm

I could pretend to be offended by that comment, but I'm too busy laughing.

I think it is like most things. As time goes on, people will not understand the particular science involved. There are those who have a basic understanding of many principles. Those who only look for it. All of the rest of the wonderers in our service industry economy will watch TV and talk about tabloids. I applaud Mr. Yoakum in the fact that he does create his own form of art. I do not expect all of the people interviewed by the tabloids to have a firm understanding of genetic engineering. I also have much to learn on the subject because it is very interesting.

Well, heck, I grew up during the area of the search for the 'missing link'. I and my schoolmates were never quite clear what that meant. There was a fuzzy connection in my mind of The Missing Link with The Holy Grail, whatever THAT was. The cartoons always depicted the missing link as some kind of gorilla/monster. I came to think of the Missing Link as some kind of bogey man.So for me, being 'like a chromosone removed' from some other creature is not such a giant leap in imagination. Marti in Mexico

The sequencing of the Chimp genome has overturned the 2% difference between chimps and humans. It turns out to be over 5%, because there are gross differences... large sections that are in different order, different number of repeats, etc... that were not apparent to the tools that just compared gene to gene. They have also identified one gene that appears to be uniquely human, which not suprisingly, relates to brain development. If you make yourself really small, you can externalize virtually everything. Daniel Dennett, 1984

Who's Dwight Yoakem? _________________________________________________________Il Sotto Seme La Neva

"Who's Dwight Yoakem? " lolI wish I had seen that. I think Yoakem may have a unique sense of humor. Was this on the Daily Show? Was Jon laughing or chuckling?Yoakem might have been pulling someone's leg.