Sandwalk: A New Discovery

I've discovered a fascinating blog, SANDWALK, by Laurence A. Moran, a Toronto based biochemist.

One of the matters under discussion there by Moran is the prevalence of "junk DNA," that is, the idea that only about 10% of a cell's DNA has a function expressed in the development of the rest of the cell. The other 90% is, so to speak, the junk.

There are scientists who dispute the notion that it is all that junkie, but they are rare, and Moran emphasizes how mainstream/consensus it is that most of our DNA is superfluous.

I find the whole idea odd in that it is so parallel to a common misconception about the human brain People (always who don't know neurology) have been saying do decades that we only use 10% of the brain. The implication usually is "like wow, man, if we could only use it all we'd be, like, really something."

The idea has been debunked repeatedly by people who do know neurology, but it persists.

Anyway Moran tells us that as to DNA, the junk/functional ratio of 90/10 is valid.

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