"Background on terms: strands of DNA and RNA are often described by their ending attachment points, either 3′ (three-prime) with a hydroxyl group at one end, or 5′ (five-prime) with a phosphate group on the other end. These terms help biochemists understand the direction of translation or replication processes. Portions of messenger RNAs often have untranslated regions, denoted 3’UTR or 5’UTR.
Research shows how RNA ‘junk’ controls our genes (University of Arizona, 1 July 2024). “New study explores the machinery of gene regulation.” The use of the word ‘junk’ in quotes in this headline gives a clue that a major rethink is coming.
First, the press release offers a primer on RNA:
"Genes are segments of DNA that contain the blueprints for an astonishing diversity of life on Earth. However, part of the secret to this versatility lies not in the genes themselves but in how their
effects are delicately fine-tuned. Genes provide the instructions for making proteins, which play essential roles in building and repairing cells and tissues, speeding up chemical reactions and defending the body against pathogens. To produce proteins, genes require an intermediary molecule called RNA. During this process, DNA is first copied into RNA, which acts as a bridge between the DNA template and the resulting proteins. Although our DNA genome is fixed from birth, RNA provides the body enormous flexibility by regulating how genes are expressed."
Examining roundworms, researchers found important regulatory functions in 3’UTRs. This required rethinking old assumptions.
"Initially, noncoding RNAs like 3’UTRs were regarded as.jpg)
nonessential genetic fragments because they themselves do not code for proteins. However, recent research reveals that they are crucial for modifying gene behavior and influencing mRNA stability, localization and translation efficiency. Translation refers to the process of converting RNA into proteins composed of sequences of amino acids."
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Q: Who regarded them as nonessential?
A: Evolutionists, who tended to view anything not understood as junk leftover from millions of years of trial and error from ‘evolutionary tinkering’ by natural selection, the ‘blind watchmaker’ as Richard Dawkins called the Stuff Happens Law.
This kind of thinking also wasted decades of time before functions were discovered for so-called “vestigial organs” and claims of “bad design” in the body."
CEH