Don't expect to be sprouting a new tail anytime soon, but a recent study publicized in New Scientist says so-called "junk DNA" may resurface in future humans."A gene that is active in humans today died out during our primate evolution and came back to life again. This is the first time such a 'resurrection' event has been identified, researchers say."
The article continues ..."Humans have many genes that are at present non-functional, often considered 'junk DNA' (see our feature Recipes for life: How genes evolve). Up to 60% of the genes associated with the sense of smell lie idle in humans, for instance. It is conceivable, says Bekpen, that other currently non-functional genes stored in our genome might become active again. 'Don't count them out until they're completely deleted,' he says."
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment