Genomic Clues to DNA Treasure Sometimes Lead Nowhere

摘要

For many biologists, evolution does more than organize the history of life. It also guides them to hidden treasures in our DNA. When a gene works, evolution holds on to it, keeping its sequence intact even as bases around it change over time. Genome researchers had come to depend on this conservation to steer them to critical regions in the genome: If a stretch of DNA remains unchanged across different species, that DNA is probably performing a vital function. But as Eddy Rubin found out, that's not always the case.