Friday October 11th - 7pm Eastern

Single Gene Molecular Machines: Still Irreducibly Complex

by Jed Macosko

Influenza, the ubiquitous flu virus, has on it's surface an irreducibly complex molecular machine made from a single gene product. As such this machine, called hemagglutinin (HA), represents an elegant example of intelligent design. In this paper the minimal functions of a virus are discussed, and the role of HA in these functions are delineated. A simpler, genetically engineered version of HA is presented and its limited abilities are explained. Finally, a recent article proposing viral evolution is critiqued in light of the irreducible complexity of influenza hemagglutinin.

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