Humans, Flies Differ In How Proteins Interact May 15, 2008
What's The Difference Between A Human And A Fruit Fly. What's The Difference Between A Human And A Fruit Fly. (Science Daily)
Scientists discover small RNAs that regulate gene expression and protect the genome May 14, 2008
But of the billions of bases in a cells DNA, what determines which RNA snippets are chosen for this role" Dr. Hannon and his collaborators are harnessing highly efficient new machines that determine the sequence of bases in millions of small RNA molecules simultaneously. They then scan the known genome to find matching sequences, as well as the sequences nearby. This original context is crucial to understanding why some snippets are chosen as regulators. A New Class of RNA Previously,... (EurekAlert!)
British team discovers obesity gene May 5, 2008
The discovery also illuminates the importance of junk DNA the 98 per cent of the genome that does not contain protein-making genes, and was once thought to have no function ... The new variant linked to obesity may be such a genetic switch: it lies in a region of junk DNA, but very close to a gene called MC4R. Rare mutations in this gene cause early-onset obesity in a few children. (Times Online)
Gene's 'Selective Signature' Aids Detection Of Natural Selection In Microbial Evolution Mar 21, 2008
20, 2008) Scientists at MIT have come up with a mathematical approach for analyzing a protein simultaneously in a set of ecologically distinct species to identify occurrences of natural selection in an organism s evolution. The new method determines the selective signature of a gene, that is, the pattern of fast or slow evolution of that gene across a group of species, and uses that signature to infer gene function or to map changes to ecological shifts. (Science Daily)
Intelligent design chat with Casey Luskin Mar 8, 2008
Sandra(Q) Scientists have discovered that the formerly dubbed "junk DNA" actually has function ... " So what am I saying? I am NOT saying that one cannot accept religion and evolution. But it seems clear that many leading proponents of evolution show that there can be anti-religious motives associated with promoting evolution. Does this mean that neo-Darwinism is not science? Of course not. In science, motives don't matter, only the evidence does. If only Darwinists would not use a double... (San Diego Union-Tribune)
Genome Of Marine Organism Tells Of Humans' Unicellular Ancestors Feb 20, 2008
20, 2008) The newly sequenced genome of a one-celled, planktonic marine organism, reported Feb. 14 in the journal Nature, is already telling scientists about the evolutionary changes that accompanied the jump from one-celled life forms to multicellular animals like ourselves. In the Nature paper and a complementary Science paper released Feb 15, University of California, Berkeley, biologists Nicole King, Daniel Rokhsar and their colleagues present their first draft of the genome of a... (Science Daily)
Making cells like computers Feb 18, 2008
Local Search Site Search. THIS STORY HAS BEEN FORMATTED FOR EASY PRINTING. (Boston Globe)
RNA May Have Played Role in Vertebrate Evolution Feb 14, 2008
Tiny snippets of the genome known as microRNA were long thought to be genomic refuse because they were transcribed from so-called "junk DNA," sections of the genome that do not carry information for making proteins responsible for various cellular functions. Evidence has been building since 1993, however, that microRNA is anything but genetic bric-a-brac. (Scientific American)
'Junk DNA' Explains Complexity Of Vertebrates Feb 12, 2008
Junk DNA' Can Explain Origin And Complexity Of Vertebrates, Study Suggests ... Junk DNA' Can Explain Origin And Complexity Of Vertebrates, Study Suggests ... 12, 2008) Dartmouth College researchers and colleagues from the University of Bristol in the U.K. have traced the beginnings of complex life, i.e. vertebrates, to microRNA, sometimes referred to as 'junk DNA.' The researchers argue that the evolution of microRNAs, which regulate gene expression, are behind the origin of early vertebrates. (Science Daily)
Some 'Junk' DNA Is Important Guide For Nerve-cell Channel Production Feb 12, 2008
11, 2008) Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have discovered that introns, or junk DNA to some, associated with RNA are an important molecular guide to making nerve-cell electrical channels. In nerve cells, some ion channels are located in the dendrite, which branch from the cell body of the neuron. (Science Daily)
RNA-associated introns guide nerve-cell channel production Feb 6, 2008
PHILADELPHIA Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have discovered that introns, or junk DNA to some, associated with RNA are an important molecular guide to making nerve-cell electrical channels. Senior author James Eberwine, PhD, Elmer Bobst Professor of Pharmacology, and lead authors Kevin Miyashiro, and Thomas J. Bell, PhD, both in Eberwines lab, report their findings in this week's early online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. (EurekAlert!)
Longest Piece of Synthetic DNA Yet Jan 25, 2008
"Simplicity is overrated. E. Coli, with all its so-called junk DNA, is way more efficient than Mycoplasma," he says, noting that E. Coli's genome is about eight times bigger but grows about 50 times faster. A company called LS9, Inc., in San Carlos, Calif. (Scientific American)
Top 10 Darwin and Design News Stories of 2007 Dec 29, 2007
Dennis Wagner, ARN Executive Director, noted that, "We have a whole generation of people who have been raised according to Darwinian fairytales, like 'human and chimpanzee genetics only differ by 1%' and 'the human body is full of leftover evolutionary vestiges like the appendix and junk DNA.' However, scientists demonstrated that these Darwinian stories do not belong in our science textbooks with some of the new discoveries made in 2007. These are Darwinian 'arguments from ignorance' that... (PR Newswire)
More 'Functional' DNA In Genome Than Previously Thought Dec 14, 2007
Derived mostly from so-called "junk DNA," piRNAs had escaped the attention of generations of. . (Science Daily)
Are Humans Evolving Faster? Dec 11, 2007
Are Humans Evolving Faster. Findings Suggest We Are Becoming More Different, Not Alike. (Science Daily)
How Ancient Parasites Took Over Your Genes Nov 17, 2007
The results also call into question previous views that these repetitive sequences, or so-called junk DNA, didn't code for anything or serve a particular purpose. "We're starting to uncover the treasure in this junk," Wang said. (Fox News)
Ancient Retroviruses Spurred Evolution Of Gene Regulatory Networks In Humans And Other Primates Nov 16, 2007
These results raise new questions about the role of so-called "junk DNA," the vast regions of the genome that don't code for proteins. ERVs fall into that category. (Science Daily)
Ice Age Imprint Found On Cod DNA Nov 15, 2007
14, 2007) An international team of researchers, led by the University of Sheffield, has demonstrated how Atlantic cod responded to past natural climate extremes. The new research could help in determining cods vulnerability to future global warming. (Science Daily)
Analyses Of 12 Fly Genomes Reveals New Insights On Genome Evolution And Regulation Nov 9, 2007
8, 2007) Genome Research is publishing a number of papers related to comparative analyses of twelve Drosophila (fly) genomes. The twelve fly genome project is unique in that the analyses of closely related species has allowed for a more complete and correct annotation of functional genes and regulatory elements in Drosophila melanogaster, a major model organism in genetics. (Science Daily)
From beyond the grave Oct 29, 2007
All were garotted with rope, hanged or beaten to death. One of the women was lashed to a strong piece of wood and her head yanked back with such force that she bit off the tip of her tongue. (New Haven Register, CT)
Scientists discover tiny RNAs play a big role in controlling genes Oct 26, 2007
Derived mostly from so-called junk DNA, piRNAs had escaped the attention of generations of geneticists and molecular biologists until last year when Lins team discovered them in mammalian reproductive cells, and named them ... This finding revealed a surprisingly important role for piRNAs, as well as junk DNA, in stem cell division, Lin said ... It calls upon biologists to look for answers beyond the one percent of the genome with protein coding capacity to the vast land of junk DNA, which... (EurekAlert!)
YEAR OF MIRACLES Oct 15, 2007
Many scientists now believe that heredity is the result of an incredibly complex interplay among the basic components of the genome, scattered among many different genes and even the vast stretches of junk DNA once thought to serve no purpose ... Instead, tens of thousands of hitherto mysterious regions of the human genome part of the so-called junk DNA directed the production of specific molecules called microRNAs (consisting of bits of RNA, a well-known component of cells). (Indian Express)
Study reveals how stem cells decide to become either skeletal or smooth muscle Oct 11, 2007
Regulatory sequences are emerging as an important part of the non-gene majority of human genetic material, once thought of as junk DNA. A new frontier in genetic research is the defining of the regulome, the complete set of DNA sequences that regulate the precise turning on and off of genes. In an article by Miano and team published February 2006 in the journal Genome Research, they described one such regulatory sequence: the CArG box. (EurekAlert!)
Mind the Gap Oct 11, 2007
Scientists say they have figured out the purpose of an organ that has, for long, been seen as nothing more than a source of trouble. An inflamed appendix has caused agony to many, and surgeons have tended to regard it as a useless and troublesome appendage that serves no function. (India Times, India)
NEWSWEEK International Editions: Highlights and Exclusives, OCT. 15, 2007 Issue Oct 8, 2007
He writes that many scientists now believe that heredity is the result of an incredibly complex interplay among the basic components of the genome, scattered among many different genes and even the vast stretches of "junk DNA" once thought to serve no purpose. The result of this seemingly modest conceptual breakthrough has been a torrent of new discoveries. (PR Newswire)
DNA unraveled Sep 24, 2007
A slew of recent but unrelated studies of everything from human disease to the workings of yeast suggest that mysterious swaths of molecules - long dismissed as "junk DNA" - may be more important to health and evolution than genes themselves ... "Until recently, the rest of the genome - the murky regions between individual genes - was viewed as occupied by more or less useless glop. Noncoding DNA is the polite term for junk DNA.But the glop is starting to look like gold. And genes, in a sense,... (Boston Globe)
This human's life, decoded Sep 4, 2007
Junk DNA The 97 per cent of genetic code in DNA that does not encode the recipe for a gene. Now thought to be linked to regulating genes. (Globe and Mail)
Darwin's Radio Sep 3, 2007
Meanwhile, in Georgia, Kaye Lang, a molecular biologist specializing in retroviruses is shown a mass grave full of pregnant women, all shot in the stomachs in a recent wholesale execution; her research leads her to believe that the women were proof that junk DNA may have a hitherto unexpected evolutionary purpose. Christopher Dicken is a virus hunter at the Centre for Disease Control in Atlanta. (Suite101.com)
The book of life Aug 25, 2007
- shortly after the untimely death recently of "Junk DNA" (history in less than 35 years). Yes, words carry not only meanings but associations, values, assumptions, metaphors, connotations, frames of mind (and worse; implications that may be scientifically absurd, or even outright ridiculous). (The Scientist)
Fruit Fly Gene From 'Out Of Nowhere' May Change Ideas About How Genes Are Formed Jul 26, 2007
Scientists thought that most new genes were formed from existing genes, but Cornell researchers have discovered a gene in some fruit flies that appears to be unrelated to other genes in any known genome. Fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster). (Science Daily)
Charting Ever-changing Genomes Jul 24, 2007
"This plasticity is truly surprising for a genome that's very streamlined and unlike bigger genomes doesn't contain a lot of junk DNA," he adds. A decade ago, Arabidopsis was widely adopted by plant scientists as an easily manipulated model for other plants because it is simple to grow in the laboratory, has a short life cycle and a small genome. (Science Daily)
Sequencing method yields fuller picture Jul 18, 2007
As a by-product of their analysis, the researchers added to growing evidence that so-called junk DNA may have a function after all. Recent studies have shown that junk DNA expresses proteins which may regulate gene function, and that sections of junk DNA have been highly conserved during evolution, suggesting that they play an important role ... The Genome Research study confirms that many short sections of junk DNA are highly conserved, Li and Kim said. (EurekAlert!)
DNA change can forecast cancer Jul 17, 2007
Kolonel said the findings could "open up some new biology. ... We'll be learning about regions in the genome that don't contain any known genes, at least at this time." A lot of DNA has been called "junk DNA," with no function, he pointed out. "Maybe it is not so junk.". (Honolulu Star-Bulletin)
One Man's Junk May Be A Genomic Treasure Jul 16, 2007
Now, researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine have discovered one important function of so-called junk DNA.. Genes, which make up about four percent of the genome, encode for proteins, "the building blocks of life." An international collaboration of scientists led by Michael G. Rosenfeld, M.D., Howard Hughes Medical Investigator and UCSD professor of medicine, found that some of the remaining 96 percent of genomic material might be important in the... (Science Daily)
Punctuating the book of life Jul 15, 2007
Inside the National Post. Awaiting a verdict in the Conrad Black trial, as the jury sweated through its deliberations. (National Post)
U.S. study suggests antibiotic, breast cancer link Jul 15, 2007
So-called junk DNA the 96 per cent of the human genome that seemed to have no useful purpose may play a more valuable role than its name suggests, U.S. scientists say. Chip giant Intel has reversed course and is backing a nonprofit foundation in its effort to bring the XO, a cheap laptop, to the world's neediest children. (Yahoo News -- Antibiotics)
Deal means new owners for Royal York and other famous hotels Jul 14, 2007
The group thatowns Toronto's Royal York Hotel and other greatnames in Canadian lodging has agreed to be sold to Quebec'sbig public fund manager, the Caisse de dpt et placement, and hotel interestsfrom Mississauga, Ont. 60 a unit,the sale may notpop champagne corks among people who invested in Legacy Hotels Real Estate Investment Trust, especially if they stuck with itthrough the SARS panic of 2003 thatfrightened travellers, hammered the unit price andledLegacy to halt... (CBC Ottawa)
Slew of Disney films coming to Xbox Live Jul 14, 2007
So-called junk DNA the 96 per cent of the human genome that seemed to have no useful purpose may play a more valuable role than its name suggests, U.S. scientists say ... So-called junk DNA the 96 per cent of the human genome that seemed to have no useful purpose may play a more valuable role than its name suggests, U.S. scientists say. (CBC News)
1st Kuwaiti woman MP sworn in Jul 14, 2007
So-called junk DNA the 96 per cent of the human genome that seemed to have no useful purpose may play a more valuable role than its name suggests, U.S. scientists say. Researchers will be testing new technology on Devon Island in Nunavut this summer to better understand Mars and the moon. (Yahoo News -- Kuwait)
Human DNA, the ultimate spot for secret messages (are some there now?) Jun 27, 2007
To create the ultimate time capsule as part of the millennium festivities at this newspaper, they proposed to encode a year's worth of the New York Times magazine into the junk DNA of a cockroach ... The remaining 97 percent, so-called junk DNA, looks like gibberish. (International Herald Tribune)
Faster, Cheaper Mutant Mice Jun 19, 2007
Genes account for only 2. 5 percent of DNA in the human genetic blueprint, yet diseases can result not only from mutant genes, but from mutations of other DNA that controls genes. (Science Daily)
Attracting children to the world of science Jun 19, 2007
The new thinking is that genes work with other kinds of DNA, so-called junk DNA, that had been seen as less important. Now scientists say junk DNA also plays an important role in regulating cells ... What exactly does junk DNA do, and how does it function. (International Herald Tribune -- Ed/Op)
Science: miracles and mysteries Jun 18, 2007
The new thinking is that genes work with other kinds of DNA, so-called junk DNA, that had been seen as less important. Now scientists say junk DNA also plays an important role in regulating cells ... The finding is the result of a four-year, $42 million international effort that involved 80 institutions and looked at just 1 percent of the entire human genome, some 30 million units of DNA. What exactly does junk DNA do, and how does it function. (Boston Globe)
Mutating the entire genome Jun 18, 2007
Public release date: 17-Jun-2007. New way to hunt for illness-causing mutants in non-gene DNA. (EurekAlert!)
Human Genome More Complicated Than Ever Realized, Scientists Say Jun 17, 2007
The rest was termed "junk DNA." ... In a paper released in the journal Nature, scientists say they have found that much of that so-called junk DNA is actually involved in regulating how genes build and maintain the body. (ABC News)
The 1 Percent Genome Solution Jun 17, 2007
Once dismissed as "junk DNA," researchers have found that some of these so-called noncoding regions are shared among mammals, suggesting they play an important function. To help uncover those functions and identify other important sequences, 35 research groups joined forces in 2003 to create the encyclopedia of DNA elements (ENCODE) project. (Scientific American)
Exploring 'Junk DNA' In The Genome Jun 17, 2007
Not so long ago, the difficult-to-sequence, highly repetitive, gene-poor DNA found in regions of chromosomes known as heterochromatin was called "junk." Like dark matter in the universe, the true nature of heterochromatin was unknown. A diagram of Drosophila's centromeric heterochromatin, which extends toward the center of the chromosomes from the gene-rich euchromatin regions (black). (Science Daily)
DNA Decoding Landmark Jun 15, 2007
The rest of the DNA was called "junk DNA." Now it turns out that this "junk" is just as important as the rest of the genome. Genes, once supposed to have only one specific function, are now shown to have, on average, at least five different functions. (CBS News)
ENCODE finds the human genome to be an active place Jun 15, 2007
This would be the "there is no junk DNA" take on matters. The opposite extreme would be an "it's all junk" view of it. (Ars Technica)
Landmark study prompts rethink of genetic code Jun 15, 2007
Secondary Navigation. by Richard Ingham Thu Jun 14, 6:41 AM ET. (Yahoo News -- Top Stories)
Study: the "junk" in DNA isn't really junk Jun 15, 2007
BEIJING, June 14 (Xinhuanet) -- An in-depth examination by 35 teams of researchers from 80 different organizations in 11 countries who shared notes on 1 percent of the human genome has revealed there is no such thing as "junk DNA" and that some of what was considered "useless-looking" stretches of DNA may rewrite the book on evolution and causes of some diseases. Their findings, the start of the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements or ENCODE Project, were published in the journals Nature and Genome... (Xinhuanet, China)
Study shines new light on genome Jun 15, 2007
Most intensive study ever of our genetic code So-called junk DNA found to play highly active role ... Large swaths of the genome, previously dismissed as "junk DNA" because it was thought to serve no practical purpose, have been found to be highly active inside the cells in our bodies. (Guardian Unlimited -- Life)
Human instruction book not so simple Jun 14, 2007
They found there was far more to genetics than the genes themselves and determined there was no such thing as "junk DNA" but that some of the most useless-looking stretches of DNA may carry important information. Thirty-five teams of researchers from 80 different organizations in 11 countries teamed up to share notes on just 1 percent of the human genome. (MSNBC -- Health)
Human Genome Yields Up More Secrets Jun 14, 2007
An exhaustive look at only 1 percent of the human genome produced two major findings: a vast amount of seemingly useless genes formerly called "junk DNA" may, in fact, be crucial to regulatory processes governing cells; and "epigenetic" factors outside of genes are probably big players behind many diseases ... The other half was a random sample meant to include other aspects of the genome, including so-called "junk DNA." ... "People rather dismissively called the rest of it 'junk DNA,' " he... (Forbes)
Human genome further unravelled Jun 14, 2007
Instead, it suggests genes, so called junk DNA and other elements, together weave an intricate control network ... However, junk DNA may soon need a new moniker ... He explained that the study had found junk DNA was being transcribed, or copied, into RNA - an active molecule that relays information from DNA to the cellular machinery. (BBC News -- Health)
Encyclopedia Of DNA: New Findings Challenge Established Views On Human Genome Jun 14, 2007
This broad pattern of transcription challenges the long-standing view that the human genome consists of a relatively small set of discrete genes, along with a vast amount of so-called junk DNA that is not biologically active. The new data indicate the genome contains very little unused sequences and, in fact, is a complex, interwoven network. (Science Daily)
DNA study challenges basic ideas in genetics Jun 14, 2007
Among the critical findings: A huge amount of DNA long regarded as useless -- and dismissively labeled "junk DNA" -- now appears to be essential to the regulatory processes that control cells ... But according to the study, obscure sections of the genome, the "junk DNA," may play an even more critical role in health and evolution than genes themselves. (Boston Globe -- Nation)
`Junk DNA' Isn't Junk; Purpose Seen in Genetic Silent Majority, Study Says Jun 14, 2007
Junk DNA' Isn't Junk; Purpose Seen in Genetic Silent Majority ... These areas were thought to be junk DNA, and now it is clear that some of them encode regulatory information,'' Snyder, who helped lead the study, said today in a telephone conference with reporters. (Bloomberg -- Canada)
Scientists make 'landmark' DNA discoveries Jun 14, 2007
The scientists have found there is far more to genetics than the genes themselves and there is no such thing as "junk DNA" ... Dr Collins says the refutation of the theory of "junk DNA" could be useful in understanding and treating disease. (ABC News Online, Australia -- Sci-Tech)
DNA links to breast cancer identified May 28, 2007
In combination, the three studies looked at about 24,000 women with and without breast cancer, analyzing their DNA for the presence of single nucleotide polymorphisms, markers that signal the presence of common genetic variations in genes and so-called "junk DNA.". Partners. (Indianapolis Star)
Map of mosquito genome may help stop spread of disease May 21, 2007
Both have roughly 16,000 genes, they said, but Aedes is loaded up with "junk DNA" and other stuff whose function is unclear. Aedes can transmit disease-causing viruses as it makes a meal out of human blood. (Boston Globe)
The sound of DNA| May 16, 2007
eMail if you have a problem, and we'll do our best to help. bringing the latest science and tech news every Wednesday. (iAfrica.com)
Opossum Genome Shows 'Junk' DNA Source Of Genetic Innovation May 11, 2007
The research shows that this so-called junk DNA is anything but, and that it instead can help drive evolution by moving between chromosomes, turning genes on and off in new ways. The research - the first time a marsupial genome was decoded - involved the gray, short-tailed opossum, a native of South American rain forests that is small enough to fit in the palm of one's hand. (Science Daily)
Opossum's genetic map sheds light on humans May 11, 2007
WASHINGTON Scientists have mapped the genetic composition of a marsupial mammal, the South American grey, short-tailed opossum, gaining insight into the role of "junk DNA" in human evolution and into immune systems ... Most of these innovations occurred not in protein-coding genes but in areas of the genome that do not contain genes and until recently had been derided as junk DNA, they found ... These "jumping genes," called transposons, also are in areas once believed to be junk DNA.. (Globe and Mail)
First Decoded Marsupial Genome Reveals "Junk DNA" Surprise May 11, 2007
The study reveals a surprising role in human evolution for "jumping genes" parasitic bits of "junk DNA" that until now were thought to be nothing more than a nuisance and may also lead to a number of medical breakthroughs. RELATED. (National Geographic)
