Junk no more
In the 1980s, people believed that 97 % of human DNA did nothing, thinking it was just “junk” left over from evolution. The logic was simple; “junk DNA” doesn’t code for proteins, so it must do nothing. It’s now clear that most DNA does have important functions, though we are still working out the finer details of these functions. Some of this supposed “junk” DNA is responsible for influencing the unique development of human brains. While much of the DNA used for protein coding in humans and apes are comparatively the same, there is significant variation in the surrounding DNA. An example of this can be seen in minisatellites, which are DNA strands with varying numbers of a short, repeated sequences of nucleotides. Fewer repeats of this sequence are found in a minisatellite near the human gene for a protein called ZNF558 than for apes’ minisatellites near this same gene. This shorter human minisatellite sequence influences production of the protein ZNF558, which results in it functioning in a different and unique manner in the development of the human brain. Protein coding genes are essential, but when the proteins are made, what they do and how they are put together leads to spectacular differences between organisms. DNA which was misunderstood as “junk” DNA plays a big role in these unique differences. What might other stretches of DNA be doing that our highly developed brains have yet to figure out? And what does this suggest about the mind of God, who designed our brains in the first place? Reference: https://www.cell.com/cell-stem-cell/pdf/S1934-5909(21)00384-2.pdf https://www.genengnews.com/news/human-and-chimp-brains-differ-in-non-coding-regulatory-dna/
Clever Cockatoos
Watching their antics might not automatically lead to the conclusion that cockatoos are smart, but they are much more clever than you might think. Goffin's cockatoos have been shown to not only use tools,…
Calculus on my mind
Do you roll your eyes at the first mention of calculus? Whatever you think of it, when we need to do something fast our brains do calculus anyway. Our brains send signals to our bodies using electrical…
Earwig Origami
They keep it well hidden, but earwigs are masters of the art we call “origami.” You have probably seen it practiced by someone who takes a flat sheet of paper and folds it into a bird, boat or paper plane.…
Back together again
Rose-breasted grosbeaks are very different from scarlet tanagers. These bird species live in different places, they sing different songs and each sports a distinctive look. They are so different that many…
Holding their breath
The Guinness Book of World Records lists an impossibly long 24 minutes and 37.36 seconds as the human record for holding your breath. So, how do crocodiles manage to stay submerged for hours? They were…
They’re watching you
Don’t get paranoid, but you are being watched… if there is a fly on a wall anywhere near you. That may not surprise anyone who has tried swatting a fly, only to have it fly away leaving the person smacking…
Imaginary Numbers
Imagine other physicists cringing during 1623 when Galileo said, “the universe … is written in the language of mathematics”. Maybe they should have worked harder learning math, because Galileo may have…
Hyper-compound Eyes
Over the years, cars evolved from jalopies into super cars and finally into hyper-cars; like the 1,200 horsepower Bugatti Veyron, capable of speeds over 400 kph. “Hyper” cars are definitely the fastest,…
Junk no more
In the 1980s, people believed that 97 % of human DNA did nothing, thinking it was just “junk” left over from evolution. The logic was simple; “junk DNA” doesn’t code for proteins, so it must do nothing.…
Mucus
Snot, phlegm, boogers, mucus; whatever you call it, the substance that lubricates and protects everything from our nasal passages to our bowels seems rather disgusting. But without it, humans and other…
Struggle for survival
Perhaps one of the most notorious displays of the struggle for survival is the epic chase of a lion as it hunts down a gazelle. In such dramatic struggles, it is uncommon for the lion to pursue the strongest…
