cells (9). The elimination of the telomere caused cell cycle arrest (stopping of cell division), indicating that telomeres help cells to distinguish intact chromosomes from damaged DNA. In the cells that recovered from the arrest the chromosome was eventually lost, demonstrating that telomeres are essential for maintaining chromosome stability. Therefore, non-coding DNA is absolutely necessary for chromosomal structure and function. Studies published in February, 1997, show that organisms produce special proteins that bind to the telomeres during DNA replication (10). These proteins are counted in order to determine how long the telomeric DNA should be, otherwise the telomere would be shortened with each replication, eventually resulting in loss of critical genes.
From: When Junk DNA is not Junk
Interesting, if true. The lack of telomeres at the end of a run of DNA would be a simple way to detect if there's a break in the chromosome. (But score one for mundane materialistic explanation vs. some kind of mysterious intelligent life force that "knows" and interprets what's going on!)
However the paragraph seems to contradict known facts: Telomeres do in fact shorten over the course of multiple cell divisions. That's a big part of why old people stop growing & repairing themselves. Artificially lengthening the telomeres has kept test worms alive & sprightly far longer than their normal lifespans. (I believe it's C. elegans, and some female researcher - I don't have time to look it up unfortunately, but it's a very intriguing development regarding life extension & aging research.)
That junk-DNA is not junk is beyond doubt now. What is left to learn is to discover what functions are being coded for and where they lie. This will be a tremendous task and it is just beginning.
Telomeres only begin to make a dent in that 95%. The vast majority of "Junk DNA" are introns, short repeats, genes with invalidated promoter regions, etc., IOW things which are not telomeres.
although I suspect its role has been in regulating evolution itself by helping to separate the gene parts that got duplicated over time into functional groups, so that the protein parts that got duplicated tended to be discrete structural lengths of proteins. This had at least 2 advantages that I can think of. Maybe I'll go into it further someday. (But not tonite. The role of the junk is purely my speculation, anyway.)
Hmmm, interesting, directed evolution! Sounds like you are admitting design while trying to hold on to a materialist view!
In your dreams! But there is a deep pattern that developed, and I think it had its advantages, which would've been selected for. But I'm too swamped with work to go into that now.
The "junk DNA" consists of the 95% of the genome after allowing for the exons, introns, promoters, and other regulatory parts-- jennyp post 1381
"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds." ---Ralph Waldo Emerson
What you state is usually the case. However if you follow the reference in the article, you will see that the author is referring to the discovery that some cells can actually prevent the shortening of the telomeres through the use of telomerase:
However, when normal somatic cells are transformed in the laboratory with DNA expressing telomerase, they continue to divide by mitosis long after their normal life span is over. And they do so without any further shortening of their telomeres. This remarkable demonstration (reported by Bodnar et. al. in the 16 January 1998 issue of Science) provides the most compelling evidence yet that telomerase and maintenance of telomere length are the key to cell immortality.
From: Telomeres
In your dreams! But there is a deep pattern that developed, and I think it had its advantages, which would've been selected for. But I'm too swamped with work to go into that now.
Will be very interested in hearing your theory once you are finished writing inefficiently beautiful code! :)