Using What You've Got: Scientists Say 90% of Human Genome Not In Use

Using What You've Got: Scientists Say 90% of Human Genome Not In Use

Around 90% of human DNA is not accomplishing anything useful according to Oxford researchers and scientists. They have found that large stretches of human DNA are no more than biological baggages according to a report published in The Guardian. The researchers reached this conclusion after comparing the human genome alongside the genetic make-up of other mammals. Mammals used in the study ranged from dogs to mice , horses and rhinos.

The researchers also looked for DNA sections that humans shared with other animals split from the human evolution at different points in time such as the primates. Scientists have indicated that when DNA is shared across species, there is a likelihood that it does something valuable. Senior scientist Gerton Lunter who worked on the research team has indicated that 8.2% of human DNA was 'functional' in that it was important enough to be conserved during evolution.

'Scientifically speaking, we have no evidence that 92% of our genome is contributing to our biology at all,' Lunter indicated to The Guardian. Researchers were aware that only 1% of the human DNA is held within the genes to ensure the production of crucial proteins to protect the cells and keep the body healthy. This study published in the journal Plos Genetics indicates that a further 7% of the human DNA is also critical and it regulates the manner in which genes are expressed within the human body.

However, despite the existence of "useless" DNA it is still carried by us. When it comes to genomes , bigger is not always better. Lunter has discussed how wheat has a much larger genome than humans. So far, the unused DNA has not been of much use but it is not a burden either. It is possible that the unused parts of the DNA may come handy sometime later. Some of the DNA includes ancient viruses inserted into genetic material in the DNA of our human ancestors. These mutated into pieces over the entire period of evolution. Many of the viruses have the ability to jump around in the genomes adding fillers in as they do. If a broader view of the functionality of the DNA is taken into account, even the non-functional DNA has some role to play in the body.

In fact, the remaining 90% of the genome that is not evolutionarily conserved also have human specific functions and some may also be missed by current comparative genomics methods according to an MIT expert Manolis Kellis quoted by The Guardian. The concept of the junk DNA emerged in the early 1970s and it became famous during the close of the Human Genome Project in the 1990s. Researchers at that time noted that over 98% of the human genome did not have any apparent purpose. However the 2012 ENCODE project suggested that 80% of what was previously thought to be non-coding DNA did have some functions. Just goes to show that even the seemingly useless have their value if one looks closely.