Scientists Vie To Break Junk DNA's Secret Code

The Telegraph (UK) ^ | Roger Highfield

[blam]

Scientists vie to break junk DNA's secret code

By Roger Highfield, Science Editor
(Filed: 06/10/2003)

Huge tracts of human DNA, previously written off as meaningless junk, have been found to contain a hitherto unrecognised "genetic grammar", making the language of our genes much more complex than previously thought.

The discovery is of potentially huge significance, since it could lead to an entirely new explanation for certain diseases and symptoms. A race is now on among teams of scientists worldwide to investigate this cryptic code.

While the genetic recipe of a human being is spelt out with three billion letters of DNA code, only about two per cent of these correspond to the genes - the DNA that describes the proteins that build and operate bodies.

In the latest issue of the journal Science, Prof Stylianos Antonarakis of the University of Geneva Medical School, Dr Ewen Kirkness of the Institute of Genomic Research, Maryland, and colleagues have reported compelling evidence that up to three per cent of our genetic material has a crucial role that is not understood.

They made the unexpected discovery that some DNA regions of humans, dogs and species as distant as elephant and wallaby are nearly identical. These regions of what were once called junk have been dubbed "conserved non-genic sequences", or CNGs, a reference to how they are not conventional genes.

Prof Antonarakis said: "I suspect that mutations in CNGs may contribute to numerous genetic disorders." Defects in CNGs could result in illness while the symptoms of Down's syndrome, caused by an extra copy of a chromosome, might be linked to the presence of additional CNGs.

"Many laboratories are now working on identifying pathogenic mutations," he said.

[Michael_Michaelangelo]

You can't win this battle, so you are well advised to find another one.

Awwww... please don't make him go back to his "the Pope supports evolution" argument; it was pretty sad.

[Virginia-American]

There is a widely used immortalized line called "HeLa" which is short for Helen Lane...the cells were isolated from a tumor in this person in the early fifties. People are still growing and using them today.

Almost right, check this interesting article History of HeLa

[Sentis]

I still have yet to figure out how the belief system of the founding fathers has anything to do with evolution? Does this have something to do with your idea that there is no moral philosophy without God? Aristotle didn't believe in christ and the early christians certainly accepted his and Plato's philosophy. In fact they argued an absolute moral philosophy outside of any Christian concept. In the "Discourses" Aristotle describes a very complete moral system I didnt see christ mentioned.


Oh well, you creationists should answer some questions such as the age of the earth and the universe.

[PatrickHenry]

Please don't ever post to me again.

[Michael_Michaelangelo]

Oh well, you creationists should answer some questions such as the age of the earth and the universe.

It's old. Quite old, in fact. How old? No-one really knows. My guess: older than 5000 years.

Try reading some of A-G's stuff.

[Sentis]

What a cop out older than 5000. That gives you alot of wiggle room to your 6000 date doesn't it :) I thought I had seen obfuscation before this certainly is the best. Why don't you just say it's probably older than 200 years or older than yesterday. I know will you say its older than 6001 years? The fact that you give a date of say 5000 shows just how little you know about science.

[Michael_Michaelangelo]

With the old earth theory, there are too many variables. Those who believe in a young earth are at odds based upon interpretation of the Bible. Adding to the confusion is the fact that Genesis presents the earth as being created mature or aged (Gen. 1: 20 ff.).

So, yeah, I am hesitant to stick my neck out there and put a date on it. I'll leave that stuff up to the experts to figure out. Knock yourself out, Mr. Science.

[VadeRetro]

You need to get a Young-Earth Creationist banker, assuming that number bigger than 6,000 amounts to just "really big" in his mind. Borrow $300,000 dollars and pay back $6,001. He should be unable to tell the difference.

[gore3000]

I'm not going to debate or get into this issue any more than this statement.

The only thing these evos care about religion is to bash it or to pit one Christian against another. That is what the self-proclaimed atheist Vade has been doing. They finally got their wish by it and got the thread pulled into the smokey backroom.

As I have said these folk can never engage in honest discussion, all they can do is spam, lie, insult and threaten like the tyrannical thugs that they are.

[gore3000]

Well, obviously, someone can be a conservative without being a Christian.

No, you cannot be an atheist and be a conservative. You may be a Republican, but not a conservative. A conservative believes in immortal truths, in unrelative morality and right and wrong. Atheists do not believe in such and that is why they are atheists.

[Ogmios]

As I have said these folk can never engage in honest discussion, all they can do is spam, lie, insult and threaten like the tyrannical thugs that they are.

Actually, this should read, As I have said Gore3000 can never engage in honest discussion, all he can do is spam, lie, insult and threaten like the tyrannical thug that he is.

How's that feel Gore3000, you like it? I don't, because it is the truth from what I have seen so far.

Care to prove me wrong? I would really appreciate it.

[RightWingNilla]

Almost right, check this interesting article History of HeLa

LOL! The professor who told us this story was a bit absentminded.

[RightWingNilla]

Reminds me of something I read by Daniel Dennett...

Call me Ishmael.

Mutation....

Call me, Ishmael.

[gore3000]

Almost right, check this interesting article History of HeLa

A most malignant cancer is proof of evolution????????????

Boy, you guys are really desperate!

[VadeRetro]

That Dennett, I warned him about stealing from me!

[RightWingNilla]

That Dennett, I warned him about stealing from me!

Tee hee. I can't remember the name of the book, but he gives more examples of devastating mutations to other great literary works.

[RightWingNilla]

A most malignant cancer is proof of evolution????????????

Way to follow the conversation.

Yes malignant cancer is definite proof of evolution. Care to refute it?

[gore3000]

Yes malignant cancer is definite proof of evolution. Care to refute it?

Only after you show that death is life. I cannot waste my time with such silliness.

[RightWingNilla]

I cannot waste my time with such silliness.

See, I knew you couldn't refute it. It is easier to throw insults around.

[gore3000]

See, I knew you couldn't refute it. It is easier to throw insults around.

It's not an insult. When you can show that death is life, then it will not be silly, until then it is silly.