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Opposable Thumbs and Upright Walking Caused By "Junk DNA"

Posted by Soulskill on from the stranded-pairs dept.

quinnlynn writes "A group of research scientists at Yale discovered that the evolution of opposable thumbs and upright walking in humans is due to changes in the genome in the areas still classified as "junk DNA." Quoting: 'Results from a comparative analysis of the human, chimpanzee, rhesus macaque and other genomes reported in the journal Science suggest our evolution may have been driven not only by sequence changes in genes, but by changes in areas of the genome once thought of as "junk DNA." ... Researchers have long suspected changes in gene expression contributed to human evolution, but this had been difficult to study until recently because most of the sequences that control genes had not been identified. In the last several years, scientists have discovered that non-coding regions of the genome, far from being junk, contain thousands of regulatory elements that act as genetic "switches" to turn genes on or off.'" Yale has also recently completed sequencing the Trichoplax genome. Trichoplax has the simplest known animal genome, and it shares 80 percent of its genes (comprised of 98 million base pairs) with humanity. Professor Stephen Dellaporta was quoted saying, "We are [excited] to find that Trichoplax contains shared pathways and defined regulatory sequences that link these most primitive ancestors to higher animal species. The Trichoplax genome will serve as a type of 'Rosetta Stone' for understanding the origins of animal-specific pathways."

6 of 215 comments (clear)

  1. more proof that evolution is wrong! by mjtrac95570 · · Score: -1, Troll

    Dagnabbit! Sarah Palin doesn't share 80% of her DNA with Trichoplax! http://www.whataboutcarol.com/

  2. Junk is as Junk does. by erexx23 · · Score: 0, Troll

    I don't understand it therefor it must be junk!
    Perfectly scientific.

  3. Evolution: 0, Intelligent Design:1 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    Junk DNA is a prediction of evolution, not intelligent design. Intelligent Design theory has predicted from day one that so-called junk DNA is not junk because an intelligent designer would not design junk. ID is right and evolution is wrong. Take that, Darwinists and atheists! ahahaha... AHAHAHA... ahahaha...

    I just thought I would rub it in a little. ahahaha...

  4. This Was Predicted by Intelligent Design by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    Junk DNA is a prediction of evolution, not intelligent design. Intelligent Design theory has predicted from day one that so-called junk DNA is not junk because an intelligent designer would not design junk. Do programmers purposely put junk in their code and leave it there? ID is right and evolution is wrong. Take that, Darwinists and atheists! ahahaha... AHAHAHA... ahahaha...

    I just thought I would rub it in a little. ahahaha...

  5. Re:Just like the brain areas "you don't use" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    Oh, shut the fuck up, you douse bag.

  6. Re:Intelligent Designer Does Not Design Junk by Louis+Savain · · Score: -1, Troll

    Actually, it's cause it doesn't prove evolution wrong... it just changes the theory of evolution.

    LOL. I see. So every time a prediction of evolutionary theory is falsified, it does not mean that evolution is falsified but only that the theory needs to be modified. It follows that evolution is not falsifiable, ever. Which means that it is not science. It's voodoo crap, right? Now I get it.