Genes make up just 2% of our DNA, scientists still puzzled by 98%

Researchers say that much of the human genome was previously thought to be “junk DNA,” but it turns out it’s not that simple.

Back in the spring of 2003, scientists who worked on the Human Genome Project completed sequencing the human genome, reports Science Focus.

However, this human “Book of Life” remains difficult to read even for the world’s leading geneticists. Researchers are still sorting through the data.

One of the biggest questions that has been raised is: why is the human genome so huge?

The striking thing about the completed human genome was how little of it seemed to do anything at all. The human genome contains about three billion nucleotide pairs. Of this amount, less than 2% (about 20,000) are genes encoding proteins that direct the cells of our body. But what does the rest of the human genome do?

Some called this part junk DNA, considering it genetic gibberish—a remnant of millions of years of evolution. While some of this genetic “gibberish” really doesn’t work, not all of it is useless.

Gradually, scientists are beginning to shed light on this dark side of the human genome. Some of this “garbage heap” performs crucial regulatory or modification functions for genomes that encode proteins. Some compare these DNA sequences to volume buttons that determine the expression of our genes.

Large sections of the dark genome are also made up of long, repeating DNA sequences known as transposons. They play an important role in the expression of genes associated with crucial stages of human evolution. Scientists suggest that they are related to our ability to adapt to the environment....<<<Read More>>>...

The Non-Physical Properties of Human DNA

[Collective Evolution]: In 1995, scientists placed human DNA inside a sealed, air tight tube with photons. Without the DNA, the photons arranged themselves in a random scattered pattern, but when the DNA was inserted, the photons formed an alignment.

Are there metaphysical, multidimensional aspects to our DNA? Have we just begun to understand what DNA is and what it represents?

Vladimir Poponin is a well known Russian scientist who in 1995, with his colleagues, including biophysicist Peter Gariaev, conducted a very interesting experiment during their time at the Russian Academy of Sciences. In their paper (P.P. Gariaev and V.P. Poponin. Vacuum DNA phantom effect in vitro and its possible rational explanation. Nanobiology 1995 (in press)), Poponin states, in the introduction of the report, that, “We believe this discovery has tremendous significance for the explanation and deeper understanding of the mechanisms underlying subtle energy phenomena including many of the observed alternative healing phenomena.”

Why did he feel this way? We will get to that....<<<Read The Full Article Here>>>...

Genetic discovery surprises support the validity of Intelligent Design

[S.O.T.T]: ID scientists have been disputing "junk DNA" claims for many years now. Another supportive case came to light recently. The Simons Foundation found that mutations in non-coding DNA (once considered evolutionary leftovers, or junk) can be implicated in the development of autism.

While a diagnosis of autism can be devastating for a family, the important point is that transcripts of non-coding DNA, even if they do not yield proteins, still influence the health of the individual. The Simons Foundation calls this discovery a first.

Research into the genes of 1,790 patients not having a prior family history of autism led to the inference that the condition was due to mutations. Notice how the researchers say that "junk DNA" is a misnomer, and that the implications of their finding extend beyond this particular condition.

The analysis predicted the ramifications of genetic mutations in parts of the genome that do not encode proteins, regions often mischaracterized as 'junk' DNA. The number of autism cases linked to the noncoding mutations was comparable to the number of cases linked to protein-coding mutations that disable gene function.

The implications of the work extend beyond autism, Troyanskaya says. "This is the first clear demonstration of non-inherited, noncoding mutations causing any complex human disease or disorder." By "non-inherited mutations," the scientists refer to spontaneous mutations in that individual, not mutations passed down from the parents.

What the research shows is that mutations in so-called "junk" DNA can also be implicated in diseases as diverse as cancer and heart disease. The non-coding DNA, therefore, is not "genetic dead weight," but has functional importance even if it is not transcribed into proteins. The lead scientist essentially calls the "junk DNA" myth a science stopper...read more>>>...