junk DNA

[Ian A. York]

In article <20000417142406.19749.00001881 at ng-ba1.aol.com>,
Rcjohnsen <rcjohnsen at aol.com> wrote:
>
>The termm 'junk DNA' is an unfortunate coinage of what used to be believed as
>useless DNA, but the alu sequences were derived from a bacterium and may have
>had some role in our rapid evolution from the chimpanzee.

(1)  Alu sequences are only a fraction of "junk" DNA.
(2)  I suspect you're thinking "virus", rather than "bacterium".  If not,
what reference do you have for alu being derived from a bacterium?
(3)  I suspect you are confused between using alu sequences to track
evolution, and alu sequences to drive evolution.  If not, what references
do you have?


Ian 
-- 
    Ian York   (iayork at panix.com)  <http://www.panix.com/~iayork/>
    "-but as he was a York, I am rather inclined to suppose him a
     very respectable Man." -Jane Austen, The History of England