Human 'Junk" DNA contains >4 million gene 'switches' (chemistry, format, breakthrough)

[uggabugga]

this was a truly massive project.

six papers in the journal Nature, 24 papers in Genome Research and Genome Biology, six in J. Biological Chemistry and yet another in Science.

Among the many mysteries of human biology is why complex diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure and psychiatric disorders are so difficult to predict and, often, to treat. An equally perplexing puzzle is why one individual gets a disease like cancer or depression, while an identical twin remains perfectly healthy.

Now scientists have discovered a vital clue to unraveling these riddles. The human genome is packed with at least four million gene switches that reside in bits of DNA that once were dismissed as “junk” but that turn out to play critical roles in controlling how cells, organs and other tissues behave. The discovery, considered a major medical and scientific breakthrough, has enormous implications for human health because many complex diseases appear to be caused by tiny changes in hundreds of gene switches.

Bits of Mystery DNA, Far From ‘Junk,’ Play Crucial Role

ENCODE and modENCODE Projects

[Grandpa Pipes]

4 mill of DNA is more than junk. Nature never waste like that so the trick is for humans to decipher just what information is stored on the 4 mil bits. What message did God leave us to find????

[Shiloh1]

Originally Posted by Grandpa Pipes

4 mill of DNA is more than junk. Nature never waste like that so the trick is for humans to decipher just what information is stored on the 4 mil bits. What message did God leave us to find????

Good on the first part jettison the second - unless you are Mystic

[Brian.Pearson]

I'll add this to that...