Ahem. The harnessing of the intron's splicing ability to excise out bad RNAs is more evidence that the original life was RNA-based. (Or at least in only makes sense in light of the RNA-world theory):
Introns' unique capability of cutting and pasting apparently has been conserved since life evolved.LOL!"It's thought that RNA, or a molecule related to RNA, possibly were the first biomolecules, because they are capable of both performing work and carrying around their own genetic code," Golden said.
Do you realize, Michael (and Andrew), that the only thing here that's new is that they're harnessing the intron's ability to splice itself out of the RNA sequence. This ability has been known for like 25 years.
Well, I'm not sure of your take on it, especially in light of your previous arguments lumping introns with junk.
Are Introns In-series Error-detecting Sequences?
In eukaryotes the sequence of DNA bases coding for a protein is often found to be interrupted by sequences of bases (introns) which show no obvious relationship to the coding sequence (Gilbert, 1978). Speculation on the possible role of introns has included the view that they are examples of "junk" or "selfish" DNA, which does not contribute positively to cell function (Doolittle & Sapienza, 1980; Orgel & Crick, 1980). However, the notion of message sequences interrupted by non-message sequences is quite familiar to those working on noise affecting signal transmission in electrical systems. In these systems the non-message sequences have an error-checking function and permit the receiver to detect and correct errors in the message sequence (Hamming, 1980). Some principles which may guide investigations of a possible error-checking role for introns are outlined in this paper.