Breakthrough Changes Thinking About DNA Sept. 7, 2012 -- In what
scientists call the biggest breakthrough in genetics since the
unraveling of the human genome, a massive research effort now
shows how the genome works. The human genome contains 3 billion
letters of code containing a person’s complete genetic makeup.
The biggest surprise is that most of the DNA in the genome --
which had been called "junk DNA" because it didn't seem to do
anything -- turns out to play a crucial role. While only 2% of
the genome encodes actual genes, at least 80% of the genome
contains millions of "switches" that not only turn genes on and
off, but also tell them what to do and when to do it. Eleven
years ago, the Human Genome Project discovered the blueprint
carried by every cell in the body. The new ENCODE project now
has opened the toolbox each cell uses to follow its individual
part of the blueprint. The effort is the work of more than 400
researchers who performed more than 1,600 experiments. The
genome, with its 3-billion-