Novel 'Junk DNA' Sequences Jumpstart Protein Production
Researchers have just identified over 12,000 novel DNA sequences in the human genome, most of them in areas once thought to be "Junk DNA."1 These newly discovered DNA sequences, called "translation-enhancing elements," jumpstart protein production in certain situations and provide a whole new perspective on how proteins are produced in the cell.
New Twist in DNA Turns Heads, Genes
Geneticists have enough challenges trying to comprehend the enormously elaborate yet precise ways cells access, copy, alter, interpret, and execute linear-coded genetic information. But now, non-linear genetic information adds a whole new dimension that multiplies the challenge of comprehending a living cell's inner workings.
Bewildering Pseudogene Functions Both Forwards and Backwards
Not only have many pseudogenes been proven to be highly functional, a recent study has unveiled mind-boggling complexity behind the PTEN pseudogene, showing that it functions both forwards and backwards as part of an intricate gene network.1
Marketing Myostatin Inhibitors with Fake Science
Body builders and other athletes use nutritional supplements to increasingly exploit the muscular mass-building benefits of reducing the levels of a protein in the body called "myostatin." While these products may be helpful and effective, the evolutionary sales pitch used to promote these supplements is defective and unscientific.