Micro-RNA makes humans, according to an article in New Scientist, 6 Nov 2006, p17. Micro-RNAs are short sequences of a code-carrying molecule named RNA that can turn genes off. This is important because living creatures that have the identical genes can be very different in body structure and function because of differences in when and where such genes are turned on and off. Researchers at Hubrecht Laboratory in Utrecht (Netherlands), have searched through RNA in human and chimp brains and have found 447 new micro-RNAs. Some of these were unique to humans. According to New Scientist, “even though we share most of our DNA with chimps, small genetic changes that fine tune its expression might account for the radical differences in our brains.”
Editorial Comment: Micro-RNAs are only 22 code letters long, compared with protein coding genes that are thousands of letters long. Because micro-RNA’s can turn off protein coding genes, a small difference in the micro-RNAs can have a very big effect. This reminds us that the claims human and chimp DNA are somewhere between 95 and 99 per cent the same, are based on meaningless statistics. Furthermore, micro RNA’s are coded for in the DNA sequences between protein coding genes. This used to be called “junk DNA” and was claimed to be leftover detritus from millions of years of random evolution. In the last few years scientist have stopped calling it junk and started calling it “non-coding” DNA. However, this is a misnomer because some of it codes for micro-RNAs and other RNAs. Creation Research predicted many years ago that junk DNA would turn out to be functional because the Creator God must have put it there for a reason. (See item Women Put Junk DNA to Work) The number and complexity of those functions has exceeded our expectations, but this is a case where creation is a better model for science than evolution. (Ref. genetics, chimpanzees, prediction)
Evidence News 5 December 2006