Some ‘Junk DNA’ May Act as Computer Memory *
January 30, 2018
Growing evidence supports the hypothesis that certain non-coding 'retrotransposons' may function as computational memory for genes. *[Audio version included]
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Pinpoint Navigation and Propulsion in a Seemingly Random Soup
August 3, 2017
Non-coding sequences of DNA, sometimes considered genetic junk, may actually function to help navigate proteins to their target genes.
Darwin, Design, and the Art of Being Shocked
May 5, 2017
Dr. Thomas Woodward of the C.S. Lewis Society introduces a new release of his book, "Doubts About Darwin," a history of the intelligent design movement.
Small Molecules Play Key Roles in Cells
December 26, 2016
Molecular biologists are finding a universe of functional small proteins and RNAs that were considered junk or not even known to exist.
Naive Evolution Stories Undermine Scientific Rigor
June 13, 2016
"Epistemic modesty" was a virtue until Darwin came along and launched a storytelling empire.
Junk-DNA Defenders Refuse to Look at "Useless" Code
November 15, 2014
Having decided there's nothing there, some defenders of the "junk DNA" concept won't focus on it.
Whale Pelvis Is Not Vestigial
September 9, 2014
The old Darwinian idea of "vestigial organs" has proven to be a hindrance to science once again: this time in the case of whale pelvic bones.
Misleading Data: Scientists Fooled by Their Own Assumptions
April 29, 2014
Whatever the datum you think speaks verbatim, it ain't necessarily so.
Bacteria Take Up Dead DNA, Scrambling Evolution
November 20, 2013
It's not just horizontal gene transfer that can obscure evolutionary history. Scientists have found bacteria recycling fragmented DNA from long-dead organisms. The impact on evolutionary theory could be substantial.
Adult Stem Cell Breakthroughs Continue
November 28, 2012
Adult stem cells continue to show promise as more about these pluripotent cells comes to light.
Y's Guys Have a Marvel, Not Junk
November 13, 2012
The Y chromosome is making a comeback. It's not junk, it's an "evolutionary marvel."
ENCODE Study Forces Evolutionists to Retract "Junk DNA" Myth
September 6, 2012
At least 80% of the human genome is functional, scientists now say, based on a genetic survey called ENCODE that may force reassessment of what a gene is.
Epigenetics: the 21st-Century Scientific Revolution
July 4, 2012
If genetics was the 20th century's major scientific revolution, epigenetics appears to be the big revolution for the 21st.
Evolution for Men and Women
May 8, 2012
Two recent entries in the evolution literature have application to one sex or the other.
Fungi Shed Light on Deep Biological Mysteries
November 20, 2011
Fungi are among the least studied and least understood organisms. Elevated from plants to their own kingdom in 1969, they are extremely diverse yet difficult to observe, since many species cannot be grown in the lab. The gaps in our knowledge of the fungi are being filled by new efforts to catalog them, but one of the most interesting findings may come from analysis of their genomes. A new study shows that introns (intragenic regions) are more dynamic than previously thought.