One-Fourth of DNA Born by 2.8 Billion Years Ago

One-Fourth of DNA Born by 2.8 Billion Years Ago

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Using the genetic equivalent of the Hubble telescope, researchers have peered into the distant past and witnessed an explosion of new genes that happened more than 3 billion years ago.

About 27 percent of all gene families that exist today were born between 3.3 billion and 2.8 billion years ago, two researchers from MIT report online December 19 in Nature. The surge of gene births — which the scientists have dubbed the Archean expansion — predate some important changes in Earth’s early chemistry, including the appearance of large amounts of oxygen in the atmosphere, say evolutionary b

(visit the link for the full news article)

Wow, simply wow. I think this totally blows the Western religion theories out of the water. About us only being here a few thousand years.

Read and really think about what this article is saying. Just as there maybe life out in Space somewhere (like us) there must have been so many other races/species etc before we Humans evolved and developed. Seriously.

Either the evidece has been obliterated or simply eroded away or we have dug deep enough in the right areas.

I just think this is an amazing discovery. You?

www.wired.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Originally posted by anon72

One-Fourth of DNA Born by 2.8 Billion Years Ago

www.wired.com

Using the genetic equivalent of the Hubble telescope, researchers have peered into the distant past and witnessed an explosion of new genes that happened more than 3 billion years ago.

About 27 percent of all gene families that exist today were born between 3.3 billion and 2.8 billion years ago, two researchers from MIT report online December 19 in Nature. The surge of gene births — which the scientists have dubbed the Archean expansion — predate some important changes in Earth’s early chemistry, including the appearance of large amounts of oxygen in the atmosphere, say evolutionary b

(visit the link for the full news article)

Starred and flagged!

I was wondering when this would come out; I have a friend at MIT. Kinda shoots a big old hole in that stupid creationism crap! And it opens up a whole bunch of planets in other solar systems where life could have been evolving, just like us.

That's wild man. I wonder what the implications of this discovery are going to entail. I don't think that this would disprove religion as religion is meant to be interpreted not direct (IMO). Makes you wonder if we all did come from the same "source."

S+F for the find.

reply to post by anon72


S&F OP! IRT ^post.. I donno man, what's the percentage of DNA "genetic-junk" in the human body? 95%ish (no source too lazy, heard on history channel) This portion might just be filler they discovered?

reply to post by elfulanozutan0


Im not so sure. I think they (religion) is pretty well stuck on the 5000 year mark. Anything before that just didn't happen in their world.

No matter what the evidence is.

reply to post by anon72

Merrrm... I'd not blanket cast religion like that. IMO religion is a whole lotta generational stories sprinkled with fact and shrouded in mysticism.

In my mind science and religion corroborate each other; although religion's timescale is wt-off. Heck, lunar and solar eclipses still marvel my brain. Just the right size, the right plane angel, the right distance from the Earth (both objects)... BAM 100% blockage; an sign of God, if you will..

reply to post by anon72


Literal Christians or Abrahamic religions may be. But Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Confuscism, ETC. Don't have a creation date so to automatically say "religion" is stuck in the 5000 year mark is a little wrong.

Abrahamic religions are the ones that are stuck in the "5000" year mark.

Why would genes for using oxygen appear long before oxygen existed on earth? Can our genes predict the future?

reply to post by FOXMULDER147

Call it "Intelligent Design"?
/dons flame-proof cloak!

reply to post by elfulanozutan0


I refer everyone to the book of Genesis which, much like modern science, depicts the formation of land, sea, and atmosphere, mentions the "Upright Walking Man", hell even "Let their be light" sounds and awful lot like the first explosion of light from star formation, or even the big bang itself.

I believe in God, and as such I believe God gave us to tools necessary to figure out how It did it. What bothers me about how religious literalism works is that it prevents the discovery process I believe we ought to be engaged in if we are to adequately serve God in any capacity. If the Universe evolves, and we can observe this phenomenon, does it not stand to reason that maybe God created the Universe to evolve? Because it is the most efficient mechanism to serve as the vehicle for which the Spirit of God may breath life into ALL things? If God is everywhere It must be fluid, Evolution is fluid.

Religion has failed to tie reality to God. But I sure as hell haven't.

Originally posted by FOXMULDER147
Why would genes for using oxygen appear long before oxygen existed on earth? Can our genes predict the future?

Either that or they respond to minute changes in the environment over time.

My guess is a little of both. DNA has been shown to be able to communicate over long distances as well. A sort of biological wireless communication.

reply to post by projectvxn


I agree with you. The case about Genesis, I believe that it could be valid but it's truth can be found in symbolic interpretation. 7 Days to Humans is not the 7 Days to God. That's why it's open for interpretation. I love how some people say that science debunks "GOD" but in reality I think the more of these miraculous scientific discoveries just proves intelligent design to some degree.

reply to post by projectvxn

Rawr. The absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence (read: INVADEIRAQlawls) Science almost has a cult following; it's own damn religion. And we all know how head Gods don't like each other (well.. at least their followers would have you believe )

In my mind, they both corroborate each other.
EDIT: Case in point... my sig.

reply to post by elfulanozutan0


Intelligent design is not what I'm talking about.

ID, the Theory as it is properly known would have you believe that Jesus rode dinosaurs...
I wish they hadn't stolen such a great descriptive title for what I believe...But I don't believe
Jesus rode dinosaurs...I believe we know less than nothing about the Universe, and in turn, know less than nothing about God.

Originally posted by projectvxn
reply to post by elfulanozutan0

 

ID, the Theory as it is properly known would have you believe that Jesus rode dinosaurs...

Ahh, you mean like:

Blarg site... great multi-image ... image of these Inca Stones that spawned this theory..

Intelligent Design gets a bad name from 3-toothed spittle machines that rain their "Letter of the Bible; not Spirit" rantings... Lots of odd things laying about the world..

reply to post by igigi


I think there are better explanations. For instance we are led to believe that in short amounts of time Humans of rudimentary skill and scant technological development built the largest, heaviest, and most spectacular monuments on Earth to perfect celestial calculation...That they, simple and dumb humans, managed to map the stars with such accuracy that they could predict celestial events thousands of years in the future as well as catalog movements well into the past...

I believe the Ancients knew far more than we are 1-Led to believe or 2-currently understand.

reply to post by projectvxn


Without a doubt; I was just pointing out that such ideas should not just be outright discounted, as they do have curious origins. IRT the Inca Stones, perhaps they assembled these dinosaur skeletons and had artist renditions, much like we would do today with CGI, carved in stone; with the idea that humans MUST of rode these! ... OR... something more straight-forward and non-conventional in that we (or ancient "gods") used the dinosuars for their own enjoyment?

Moreover, the dinosuar ages are a curious one in your planet's history.. DNA and genetic mutations gone wild; almost as if DNA was finding it's own limits. Completely too huge, too out of proportions (based on today's more refined animals), way too many spikes, etc... odd creatures.

Without a doubt, we're a species with amnesia, sprinkled with a healthy dose of narcissism. "We, in this time, are the most advanced this planet has EVER SEEN!" Our Ancients were either far more capable, or were greatly assisted by an outside influence... or both! (gogo Ancient Astronaut theory!)

reply to post by FOXMULDER147


the term from the OP, "Archean expansion", refers to the phylogenetic kingdom Archea-bacteria. these type of organisms are still in existence today in the hot springs of yellowstone. they use sulfur and nitrate as the final electron acceptors in respiration. in other words: NOT oxygen.

reply to post by igigi


this discovery is talking about "gene-families" which means functionally coding genes, it is NOT talking about the "junk DNA". it could be rephrased as 27% of the 4% of our DNA comes from these organisms.

reply to post by tgidkp


And arsenic.. But yea, ty for the clarification!