New Scientist on junk DNA.
In terms of articles on the topic of junk DNA, New Scientist has consistently been among the most even-handed and accurate. Here is a list of examples from the magazine: The ever deepening mystery of...
View ArticleMore ENCODE videos.
In addition to the cringe-inducing cartoon sponsored by Nature, here are some other videos that have been put out about the ENCODE results. You tell me who you think is responsible for propagating the...
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Max Libbrecht on ENCODE’s results regarding junk DNA.
Max Libbrecht is a PhD student at the University of Washington, and was one of the several hundred researchers involved in the ENCODE project. I have already mentioned Max because of his important...
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Another just-so story, this time about fists.
“It is demonstrable,” said he, “that things cannot be otherwise than as they are; for as all things have been created for some end, they must necessarily be created for the best end. Observe, for...
View ArticleGraur et al. to ENCODE: Zing!
I expect that we will be seeing several harsh critiques of ENCODE’s extraordinary claims about function in the human genome and the equally incredible mega-hype associated with the project. I know of...
View ArticleBBC interview with Ewan Birney.
Say what you want about the tone of the Graur et al. (2013) paper in Genome Biology and Evolution, but it has people talking. Including Ewan Birney, the lead scientist of the ENCODE project and the...
View ArticleCritiques of ENCODE in peer-reviewed journals.
There has been lots of talk (including some in the media; see here and here and here) about the Graur et al. (2013) paper in GBE which was critical of ENCODE, much of it focusing on the tone of the...
View ArticleENCODE quote compilation.
Here’s a short compilation I made for use in a recent presentation on ENCODE and the claim that 80% of the human genome is functional. These are quotes from ENCODE project leaders and the senior editor...
View ArticleGenome reduction in bladderworts vs. leg loss in snakes.
In one sense, I am happy that there is enough interest in the concept of “junk DNA” (and by extension, my area of research in genome size evolution) that the subject gets regular media attention. A few...
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DNA: The Code for Making Life (BBC World Service — The Forum)
Bridget Kendall and guests explore the current understanding of how DNA works, why it needs constant repair in every living organism and how new DNA-altering techniques can help cure some medical...
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