> converting about 40 bases of DNA into its corresponding RNA each second. If an RNA polymerase were scaled up to the size of a human, it would move twice as fast as Usain Bolt's
Hold up, My own inexpert "numerical intuition" is having problems here.
If polymerase converts 40 bases/sec, and travels ~20m
/sec, how on earth is one base pair 2 meters long?
I assume what the author means is that the average conversion work done by each protein is 40 base pairs per second, however it spends most the time "seeking" rather than "converting"?
Hold up, My own inexpert "numerical intuition" is having problems here.
If polymerase converts 40 bases/sec, and travels ~20m /sec, how on earth is one base pair 2 meters long?
I assume what the author means is that the average conversion work done by each protein is 40 base pairs per second, however it spends most the time "seeking" rather than "converting"?