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Scientists Vie To Break Junk DNA's Secret Code
The Telegraph (UK) ^ | Roger Highfield

Posted on 10/06/2003 4:34:06 PM PDT by 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.


TOPICS: Heated Discussion
KEYWORDS: crevolist; geneticgrammar; godsgravesglyphs; helixmakemineadouble; junkdna
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To: PurVirgo
Individual scientists are free to say anything they want, even if it's wrong. There will always be plenty of foolish quotes for those who wish to mine them, just as one can find quotes from the Bible that look foolish out of context.

Science is never complete, never finished. The best consensus at any moment is just the best available xplanation for how things work.

That said, there is no known function for the overwhelming percentage of DNA, other than placeholder.

Placeholders can be important. Ask an accountant.
401 posted on 10/09/2003 3:38:40 PM PDT by js1138
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To: NewLand; gore3000; DittoJed2; f.Christian; Boiler Plate
From the "Genetic Change in Mice" thread, posted by Aric2000:

LOL, you are quite amusing, but all of those statements are true.

 

From this thread:, posted by the Memorex Man:

It's quite amusing to me, but you really should try to get back some little bit of respectability before it's too far gone for you to get any of it back

++++++++

 

YIP, YIP??

402 posted on 10/09/2003 3:54:09 PM PDT by HalfFull
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To: HalfFull
If he was posting to gore, I can understand.
403 posted on 10/09/2003 3:58:07 PM PDT by js1138
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To: HalfFull
Could be ... these evo egomaniacs are swarming - spawning - cloning --- expect more trolls !
404 posted on 10/09/2003 4:00:03 PM PDT by f.Christian (evolution vs intelligent design ... science3000 ... designeduniverse.com --- * architecture * !)
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To: HalfFull
What a damning quote. No one but Aric ever uses that phrase, except that I found at least 378 hits on google:

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405 posted on 10/09/2003 4:04:09 PM PDT by js1138
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To: js1138
Oh, I agree. If anything, the pursuit of science, in search of answers, seems to instead turn up more questions.

For instance, why is it that any thread that deals in science, rarely turns into a discussion about it??

Why must people resort to ad hominem attacks instead of reliable data to refute an argument?

Why must emotion be so heavy on these threads??

You see, more questions.

I think a crash course in critical thinking and philosophical discourse should be required before anyone can post on these threads.

Of course, this is an untestable theory, and therefore negated in that respect.

go figure.

406 posted on 10/09/2003 4:05:47 PM PDT by PurVirgo (What would you do if FR was no more?? Please support FR!!!)
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To: PurVirgo
I think a crash course in critical thinking and philosophical discourse should be required before anyone can post on these threads.

What a great notion, perhaps you can talk your friend Gore3000 into taking that course, it might actually do him some good. And perhaps you could include some of the others of his ilk that speak in the same fashion? Thanks for encouraging them, I am sure I speak for all of us, when I say that it would be appreciated more then we could ever say.
407 posted on 10/09/2003 4:15:00 PM PDT by Ogmios (Who is John Galt?)
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To: HalfFull
No response to my last post to you? You cannot refute my evidence, so you revert to attacking again?

I cannot say that I am surprised, you ask for evidence, I give it to you, you attack me. Seems to be a pattern appearing.
408 posted on 10/09/2003 4:17:31 PM PDT by Ogmios (Who is John Galt?)
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To: Ogmios
To have any critical thinking skills you would have to have some idea of the difference between science and evolution !
409 posted on 10/09/2003 4:19:13 PM PDT by f.Christian (evolution vs intelligent design ... science3000 ... designeduniverse.com --- * architecture * !)
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To: Ogmios
Actually, that was a blanket statement ;)

I myself am given to bouts of "emotionalism", especially something that I feel strongly about.

Inciting anger via inflammatory comments, on the other hand, which is another common tactic, is akin to baiting and should never be tolerated. I personally endeavor not to do that.

You should try it sometime.

410 posted on 10/09/2003 4:21:50 PM PDT by PurVirgo (What would you do if FR was no more?? Please support FR!!!)
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To: PurVirgo
Take a look here...
411 posted on 10/09/2003 4:26:01 PM PDT by js1138
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To: PurVirgo
Does post #14 ring any bells?
412 posted on 10/09/2003 4:26:49 PM PDT by js1138
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To: f.Christian
I could actually translate that and comprehend it, very good F.Christian, I see that you are learning. Excellent.

The difference between science and evolution?

Science is a general word, that encompasses the whole range of scientific disciplines, when you say science, you are speaking of all scientific studies or disciplines.
Evolution is a specific scientific study or discipline, although it could also be thought of as a general word as well, considering the amount of other specific scientific studies or disciplines that use it within their own scientific endeavors. Does that answer your question?

I certainly hope so, because I could not have made it much simpler.
413 posted on 10/09/2003 4:29:34 PM PDT by Ogmios (Who is John Galt?)
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To: PurVirgo
I have been doing quite well at keeping my temper and emotions in check. My sarcastic side comes out when others play at being some sort of authority, when in fact they have shown complete ignorance of what they are talking about.

I will let you figure out who I am talking about, but #14 should give you a hint as to who started this particular tone of reasoning that has basically ruined a perfectly good scientific discussion.

He chose the tone, right up front.
414 posted on 10/09/2003 4:33:12 PM PDT by Ogmios (Who is John Galt?)
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To: Ogmios
Evolution is a specific scientific study or discipline

Not really ... any details --- differences ?

Help me out ... Science is stable - predictable --- evolution is changing ?

415 posted on 10/09/2003 4:36:07 PM PDT by f.Christian (evolution vs intelligent design ... science3000 ... designeduniverse.com --- * architecture * !)
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To: PurVirgo
You can't argue facts with fools so why bother. The best thing to do is ridicule all the crevos. Now if they answered the simple questions first rather than refer to techno babble, nonsequitors, and pseudointellectual blather we might be able to have a conversation. For instance how old is the Earth how old is the Universe? So why should actual scientists here (myself included) even bother to do anything but make fun of people like gore3000 or fchristian. g3000 doesnt even know the difference between a mon key and an ape. He also want answer thwe simple question (should be easy for a big brain like his) how old is the earth and universe?
416 posted on 10/09/2003 4:36:32 PM PDT by Sentis
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To: Sentis
I need to run spell check and reread these things rather than post when I am pissed off at the idiots on this board.
417 posted on 10/09/2003 4:39:47 PM PDT by Sentis
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To: Ogmios
I cannot say that I am surprised, you ask for evidence, I give it to you, you attack me.

Don't recall asking you for anything. As far as attacking goes, where is that one, hmmm?

To quote Aric....This exchange is Quite Amusing, to me. Yipper.

418 posted on 10/09/2003 4:42:11 PM PDT by HalfFull
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To: js1138; gore3000
That is the kind of arrogance and uninformed nonsense that evolutionists have been spewing and has been completely refuted by science. Only evos would be so stupid and/or dishonest to claim that 95% of DNA is junk just there so they could prove their stupid theory. Evolution has done more harm to science and consequently killed numerous people with their dishonest arrogance.

Well, I have heard it said by pro-evos that junk DNA is just that. I for one don't buy it. My post #396 gives my opinion on this - in reference to a class discussion with my professor, who performed some of the genetic engineering experiments I was referring to.

gore3K - I pinged you so it would not seem I was talking about you without your knowledge, a courtesy rarely extended.

I'm not going to defend what he said though - I'm not clairvoyant, and cannot possibly know "exactly" what he meant by that.

On the topic of clairvoyance, and it's relevancy to this thread, and I believe, Gore3K's comment - DNA can't prove evolution. Nor can DNA prove God's existence. I could be wrong, but God's existence has a bridging step - faith. Therefore, arguments about either are negated. But I don't recall Gore3K saying anything contrary to what I've just said.

419 posted on 10/09/2003 4:48:59 PM PDT by PurVirgo (What would you do if FR was no more?? Please support FR!!!)
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To: Ogmios
and so you sunk to his level then?? Very big of you.
420 posted on 10/09/2003 4:52:40 PM PDT by PurVirgo (What would you do if FR was no more?? Please support FR!!!)
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