RNA is no longer “worthless junk”; today’s revelations “unthinkable 20 years ago”

Surely you remember junk RNA, a worthy companion of junk DNA? Well…

Scientists no longer see the RNAs that aren’t envoys between DNA and ribosomes as worthless junk. “I believe there are hundreds, if not thousands, of noncoding RNAs that have a function,” says Harvard University molecular biologist Jeannie Lee. She and other scientists are beginning to learn what these formerly ignored molecules do. It turns out that they are involved in every step of gene activity, from turning genes on and off to tweaking final protein products. Those revelations were unthinkable 20 years ago.

Back in the 1990s, Lee says, scientists thought only proteins could turn genes on and off. Finding that RNAs were in charge “was a very odd concept.” Tina Hesman Saey, “Here are 5 RNAs that are stepping out of DNA’s shadow” at ScienceNews

Five examples of such “movers and shakers” among RNA are offered.

Rob Sheldon responds, “I think this is more than enough justification for the last 20 years of ID. Now can we get past the meme that ID isn’t science? That’s so 2005.”

He is referring to the fact that the ID folk never thought it was junk. One reason the ID folk were supposed to be wrong was that junk DNA proved Darwinism.

This just in: 2005 called, to find out what we have done with the Darwinism we were bequeathed.

See, for example, Paul Nelson: Junk DNA Is One Of Those Propositions That Have “Just About The Worst Track Record” In Biology. (June 23, 2018)

Francis Collins Admits His Own Prediction About Junk DNA Was False (Barry Arrington)

New York Times Science Writer Defends The Myth Of Junk DNA (the facrtfs could help “creationists”)

Evolutionary biologist Rick Sternberg on junk DNA (2014)

Jonathan Wells on the junk DNA myth (2013)

Somebody Finally Admits The Real Reason Darwin’s FollowersNEED Junk DNA (to refute intelligent design)

Hat tip: Rob Sheldon, author of Genesis: The Long Ascent

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