Junk DNA? I don’t think so

There is something that disturbs me when scientists say things like ‘we don’t use large areas of our brains’ or that there ‘are large chunks of junk DNA’. What they should be really saying is ‘that we don’t know what these do’.

This may be one of the reasons that genetic medicine as in I suppose in many other medical areas, people have a tendency to want ‘to leave things well alone’. These people may be right as we usually can’t tell the effect of some medicines, usually based on sound medical research at the time, until many years later. In defence of the scientists though, if we don’t look, we will never know. What I hope is that research is not rushed in order to realise the commercial opportunities.

I am more inclined to think that Mother Nature usually has a habit of getting rid of bits that an organism does not need. I am willing to put money on that fact that 10 years down the line we will discover why the junk DNA is there or how we actually use those portions of our brain. All organisms are ultimate machines, all created to serve their purpose, machines that we humans will struggle to emulate.

Yes, I agree, there may be inherited bits left over from earlier evolutions but I would suggest there are gradually being phased out. I cannot think that nature has left us with large chunks of brain and DNA for no purpose! Think about the possibilities when we do discover what they are for!

Cheers