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

09-05-2012 • New York Times

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.

1 Comments in Response to Bits of Mystery DNA, Far From ‘Junk,’ Play Crucial Role

Comment by Powell Gammill

Entered on: 9/5/2012 7:07:51 PM

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/junk-dna-concept-debunked-by-new-analysis-of-human-genome/2012/09/05/cf296720-f772-11e1-8398-0327ab83ab91_story.html

http://www.nature.com/news/encode-the-human-encyclopaedia-1.11312

http://www.livescience.com/22956-human-genome-milestones.html

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/20120905new-dna-encyclopedia-shows-complex-inner-workings.html

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