Millions of DNA switches that power human genome's operating system are discovered
Wednesday, September 5, 2012 - 14:00
in Biology & Nature
Genes make up only 2 percent of the human genome and are easy to spot, but the on/off switches controlling those genes were encrypted within the remaining 98 percent of the genome. Without these switches, called regulatory DNA, genes are inert. Scientists created detailed maps of the locations of regulatory DNA within hundreds of different kinds of living cells. They also compiled a dictionary of the instructions written within regulatory DNA.