What's in Your Genome?: 90% of Your Genome Is Junk

by Laurence A. Moran

What’s in Your Genome? describes the functional regions of the human genome, the evidence that 90% of it is junk DNA, and the reasons this evidence has not been widely accepted by the popular press and much of the scientific community. The human genome contains about 25,000 protein-coding and noncoding genes and many other functional elements, such as origins of replication, regulatory elements, and centromeres. Functional elements occupy only about 10 percent of the more than three billion base pairs in the human genome. Much of the rest is composed of ancient fragments of broken genes, transposons, and viruses. Almost all of this is thought to be junk DNA, based on evidence that dates back fifty years. This conclusion is controversial. What’s in Your Genome? describes the arguments on both sides of the debate and attempts to explain the reasoning behind those different points of view. The book corrects a number of false narratives that have arisen in recent years and examines how they have affected the debate over junk DNA. In addition, Laurence A. Moran focuses on scientific misconceptions and misinformation and on how the junk DNA controversy has been incorrectly portrayed in both the scientific literature and the popular press. Tracing the earliest indications of junk DNA back to the 1960s, the book explains the success of nearly neutral theory and the importance of random genetic drift, which gave rise to the view that evolution produces sloppy genomes full of junk DNA. What’s in Your Genome? aims to offer the most accurate and current account of the human genome.

Genres: Science, Biology, Nonfiction

392 pages, Hardcover

Published May 16, 2023

Reviews

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

There was a lot I liked about this book. I especially loved the discussions of science journalism and university press offices. Running through the book is the theme of how science actually works. To me these are the highlights of the book and are actually more important to me than the nitty-gritty of junk DNA. But the nitty-gritty was also excellent. The tone is conversational and the science is well-explained. Dr. Moran is clear and correct about this book not being for newbies to biology. As well as Moran explains things, a background in biology is still necessary to fully appreciate the book. A couple of times I got lost in the weeds but it wasn’t a big deal because Moran usually circles around and reiterates the main points. I found Moran highly opinionated but that was fine as he is always clear what is opinion and what is factual. One thing I found a little weird was his need to convince me about junk DNA. I didn’t mind but it’s not like a discussion of climate change where I can actually do something, but it did come across as sincere which is why I am pleased that Moran did convince me about junk DNA. This is a great book for anyone with a background in biology. Thank you to Netgally and University of Toronto Press, Aevo UTP for the digital review copy.

[Kyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author and professor Larry Moran does an excellent job laying out why many scientists believe that most eukaryotes have a genome with mostly junk. I thought he did a good job of explaining the complicated subject of biochemistry and cellular biology (although I have been reading up on these topics, so may not be best placed to determine just how simply). Moran lays out the evidence while also acknowledging where there is controversy and what his opinion is, which I agree is the best way to deal with such issues. He explains the C-value paradox to nearly neutral theory, and then shows how the ENCODE results were not what they at first seemed.

I would heartily recommend the book to anyone interested in the junk DNA question or with some interest in biology and genomics. It explains many key concepts and I thought was very readable.

[WiseB · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book provides a comprehensive coverage on junk DNA with detailed elaborations on why those genes are junk. For readers like me who picked up knowledge of DNA and genes from popular science books, this one really demands a lot more time to digest, which I do not regret and glad that I have come across the book which now elevates my understanding of the non-functional aspects of junk DNA.