Friday, June 15, 2007

Is There Such a Thing as Junk DNA?

The ambitious Human Genome Project provided a wealth of scientific information, and was at times heralded as the possible beginninng of the end of disease and other maladies, as more and more data was gleaned from those strands of genetic coding.  One aspect of the study of the genome, though, that perplexed, was the amount of “junk DNA” in the genome.  Why hadn’t the process of evolution simply purged this “junk DNA?”

Well, because it isn’t junk.

The ninety-five percent of the human genome that doesn’t actively code for proteins and was historically known as “junk” DNA is actually vital for regulating the activities of that remaining five percent.

I guess we don’t know quite as much as we thought we knew.

Your Genome is Really, Really, REALLY Complicated

Here’s another article regarding this news titled Findings Challenge Established Views On Human Genome.

Posted by John Venlet on 06/15 at 06:31 AM
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