[_ Old Earth _] interesting

[jasoncran]

not that i understand all of this.

Scientists Discover Gene Regulation Mechanism Unique to Primates - News Room - University of Rochester Medical Center

 

[abrown9]

I wasn't able to open your link, but googled the title and found an article that talks about (what I think) is the same thing. I'm enrolled in a Developmental biology class right now and pretty much all we talk about are gene regulatory elements. Its a really neat and interesting area of biology because it gives a much greater understanding of how genes influence phenotype. A large number of genetic defects are actually problems with transcription factors (proteins that are required to inhibit/promote gene expression). For a long time noncoding DNA was just termed junk DNA, but that is obviously being turned upside down in the last decade. I think the more we learn about genetics, the more it will debase the one gene-one protein (and thus one phenotype) mindset. Its really an interaction between RNA, proteins, DNA, and environmental influences.

And as a side point, it makes sense that closely related organisms would share a similar gene regulation pathway