I'm a Daffodil!
Soooooo...I was watching a science program on late-nite cable TV
(I am SO addicted!) about evolution, Darwin, natural selection and genetics. I listened to a geneticist remark upon the fact that, early on, scientists were verily stunned to discover that all of the genetic blueprints for life here on earth are remarkably similar. We now know, for example, that we’re 98.8% Chimpanzee (um...it shows, no?).
He casually mentioned that 30% of the human genome replicates that of the daffodil!
I’ve been smiling ever since.
* * *
(Seriously. I don't think I've been THIS delighted in years!!!)
* * *
I’ve been smiling ever since.
* * *
(Seriously. I don't think I've been THIS delighted in years!!!)
* * *
posted by Jonas | 9/10/2008 01:40:00 PM
18 Comments:
Can I call you Daffy?
Sure! Be my guest.
I'm tryin' to channel my inner flower...
Awww, y'all stole my line, I always knew I was a bit on the daffy side! ~smile~
As they say: "The early bird catches the worm!"
(Oh, how I wish I knew the secrets of their respective genomes!)
That 30% must be the people with cheery yellow sunshine dispositions!
"That 30% must be the people with cheery yellow sunshine dispositions!"
Wouldn't that be cool!?!
To think that our gentler, calmer natures are due to the "daffodils" within?
How lovely. I didn't know that. Makes the day seem brighter somehow!
"Makes the day seem brighter somehow!"
It does, it surely does.
I KNEW IT!!!!!!!!!!! No wonder I love the color yellow! I will be beaming for days from this one...thanks Jonas.
And daffodils are just the prettiest flowers, too, aren't they now?
Ms. L'! Glad to see you drop by and smiling!
Hello, maria. Yes, daffodils are a happy sort of flower, no?
And we grow best surrounded by manure...?
Jonas, This is Snowqueen. I cannot log into my account so after half an hour of trying various passsword combinations, I have given up and am posting as Anonymous.
Aahhh...I love daffodils. I wonder if they grow here in Korea. Spring will tell no doubt. I am looking forward to the blossoms though.
It is nice to think that we humans are as simple, yet complicated as the beautiful daffodil.
One of my favourite poems:
"Daffodils"
I WANDER'D lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the Milky Way,
They stretch'd in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced; but they Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed -- and gazed -- but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:
For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.
By William Wordsworth (1770-1850).
I stopped eating pork when I realized how genetically close we are to pigs.
And this must explain why I so admire daffodils...
I knew I was being stalked!!
Awwww, Your Highness, how did you know I was fond of English Romantic poets? I will confess, though, that despite the artistry of Wordsworth, I find the strictures of meter and rhyme too confining. As clever and erudite and sophisticated as the Romantics were, they were locked within cages of convention (although it did make it easier for me to memorize their poems). Today, I prefer the free-flowing verse of a Mary Oliver, Pablo Neruda or May Swenson. Their imagery is unfettered...and thus more powerful!
Let's all revel in our "daffiness" Ms. ThirdWorst...better that than most alternatives.
Gigi, you scamp! You made me snort wine through my nose! Very punny. Very punny, indeed!
And that figure of 30% rises if you're a Welshman. Did you know that the daffodil is the national flower of Wales (which is why you see Welshmen wearing daffodils on St David's Day, March 1st.
It's like St Patrick's Day, but without the Guinness and with overstretched buttonholes (the daffodil requiring so much more space than a shamrock).
So now you know. My grandmother was Welsh, which makes me at least 90% daffodil. Whatever Crick & Watson might say...
Some excellent Wordsworth there, snowqueen. Nearly as good as Gigi's 'stalking' quip.
But not quite.
Post a Comment
<< Home