‘Junk’ RNA May Have Played Role in Vertebrate Evolution
February 15, 2008 | Source: ScientificAmerican.com
Dartmouth College and University of Bristol researchers report that microRNA transcribed from “junk DNA” could be responsible for the evolution of animals with backbones.
They found a surfeit of microRNA in the genomes of the earliest vertebrates, such as lampreys (jawless fish), compared with invertebrates like sea squirts.