But genes make up only a tiny fraction of the entire genome. This amazing discovery forms the central doctrine of my arguments in this book. Incredibly, our active genes only make up about 3% of the total DNA in our chromosomes. Why?
Between each gene there are long stretches of DNA which do not appear to code for anything. Why would such a complex molecule be created with only 3% functionality? Scientists refer to this as ‘Junk’ DNA because they have not discovered what secret messages it is hiding if any. This clearly makes no sense according to the evolutionist theory. If the genome was evolving from a simple to a complex structure, these long sections of the DNA would not exist. It would make sense that a relatively small number of genes may have evolved over time, only to become obsolete, but the fact that 97% of our DNA seems to be inactive leaves many questions unanswered.
One of the obvious arguments for the state of our overextended genome, is that it was genetically manipulated or tampered with during the early days of our existence as a species. Our genome could have been created or copied from an existing genome of another species, or even tampered with to allow only a small portion of it to function. If we are able to do this today, why could an equally advanced group of beings not have done this to us humans a long time ago? The ancient evidence from our prehistory spells out very clearly that this is actually what happened. We will cover the actual translations of clay tablets with reference to this in later chapters.
When it was decided to sequence the entire human genome, the ‘Junk’ was included in the project just in case it might have as yet undiscovered significance. I predict that such functionality will be discovered as we evolve and discover more and more. The outcome of the Human Genome Project was that scientists managed to sequence and map our human genome. All three billion base pairs. The surprising thing is that 99.9% of the sequence is the same in every single human on Earth.
The Human Genome Project was started in 1990 with its objective to basically draw a map of the entire human genome and thereby gain a basic understanding of the entire genetic blueprint of a human being. From this map they could then start to identify unique sequences which indicate genes and their special functions. The progress on the Genome Project convinced researchers that the three billion base pairs of the human genome could be fully sequenced by 2003, two years ahead of the original schedule. This success, coupled with the growing sense of urgency and recognition of the value of DNA sequence information, led to a major acceleration in human genome sequencing in early 1999. The international consortium of public domain laboratories committed to produce a ‘working draft’ of the whole genome in the year 2000, as an intermediate step in the programme, while the complete and fully accurate referenced sequence would become available during 2003.
The international sequencing consortium was releasing new data continuously, as soon as it was available. By the end of 1999, over one billion bases of the working draft were in the public domain, and amazingly, the ‘two billion base milestone’ was passed during March 2000. The first complete working draft was a major scientific milestone for Humankind. This was achieved in June 2000 and the draft provided an overall outline of the genome. This became an extremely useful resource for biologists everywhere, for the very first time. But the draft was not a fully accurate sequence – work on it continues, and probably will for a long time to come as they discover hidden secrets in this seemingly simple molecule.
As is the case in all science and discovery, we are always taken by surprise when we least expect it. The genes of many forms of life have an additional surprising feature. The genes contain stretches of DNA, called exons, each of which codes for part of a protein, and introns, which are stretches of non-coding DNA. The relationship between the inactive introns and junk DNA is not understood. Genes consist of alternating introns and exons, and the programmed genetic codes are contained in several scattered exons, rather than a continuous stretch of DNA. The largest part of the DNA consists of seemingly never-ending stretches of junk DNA. In humans, 97% of DNA consists of non coding genes while in very simple creatures like fruit flies only 17% of the DNA contains non-coding genes. This is another possible indication of strange manipulation that must have occurred at some stage in our distant past and ties up perfectly with the 97% junk DNA discovery. The non-coding introns make no sense in the evolutionary scheme of things. It also means that yeast with only 4% non-coding genes and fruit flies with 17% non-coding genes are more evolved than humans, within their own DNA structures. At the time of writing this book the non-coding gene percentage in apes was not clearly established yet.
Bacteria have no introns and biologists are uncertain whether early life forms lacked introns, and whether they only evolved into our DNA relatively late when complex multi-cellular life arose. That might be so in primitive organisms, but the perplexing genetic code of humans leaves many questions unanswered. I think the scientists should revisit their theories and turn them around. They should familiarise themselves with the scriptures of the Sumerians which clearly describe genetic manipulation in the process of creating the ‘Adamu’. This information will help them fill in some of the missing links in the great puzzle of human origins.
The arrangement of genes into introns and exons enables the encoded message in one gene to be read in more than one way. The process is called alternative splicing and has allowed scientists to code as many as 500 different messages from one small stretch of DNA. Alternative splicing is a recent discovery and biologists do not yet know how important it is in life. What it does point to very clearly, together with the knowledge that we only use 3% or less of our genome, is that we have a long way to go for our genome to become fully functional. It also shows how enormously complex the encoding for humanity can be, in only a few genes.
I raise the primary question once again. What will humans be capable of when the full potential of the genome is unlocked? OR…
What capability was humanity deprived of when all this potential was unplugged at the point of our creation?
We have hardly stumbled upon this incredible discovery, when the insatiable human ‘greed’ gene pops its ugly head out. While the people of the world are squabbling over the ethics of genetic engineering, cloning and other processes, which are mostly driven by emotional outbursts and very little understanding, greedy pharmaceutical giants are attempting to lay claim to and patent some of the newly discovered genes. Already they are seeing the future and the fact that if they can take ownership of some of our genes, they will control all medical procedure involving such genes in the future. It does not take a rocket scientist to see where this can lead to. If you ever believed in a conspiracy to create a super race of humans on Earth, hold onto your hat. This may just be the beginning. Once the control of gene therapy lands in the hands of the rich, this kind of science fiction fantasy will become an instant reality. This is what we should guard against as the human race. Stop worrying about the cloning and the monsters and the babies without parents, but rather worry about the exclusive control of the human genome by a handful of giant medical firms. As research and knowledge grow, money will be able to buy you everything. Height, hair, eye colour, muscle tone, sexy features, health and even eternal life. I suspect however that the ‘eternal life gene’ will be the last one we shall conquer.
There does however seem to be a level of sanity and fairness in global legal circles. It seems that the patent applications by some of these giants have been overturned, as genes are regarded to be the intellectual property of all humans and cannot be exclusively owned by one group or individual. What was suggested is that companies can protect newly discovered medical procedures or drugs, which results in a desired treatment through genetic manipulation. This will protect their discoveries from exploitation for the normal 15 to 20 year period, while they recover their research and development costs. This way all the people can benefit from progress without any socioeconomic discrimination.
During the past two decades, the first
major breakthroughs in finding genes associated with hereditary diseases were announced. These included examples such as cystic fibrosis, haemophilia (A and B forms), muscular dystrophy, and Huntington's disease. Each one of these is an example of an inherited disease caused by defects in a single gene. More recently, genes have been discovered which contribute to more complex diseases, notably cancers of the bowel, or of the breast. These are two examples of the many diseases in which other factors, both in other genes and in the environment, also affect the onset of the disease. Complex diseases such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and many psychiatric disorders all involve multiple genes, unlike some defects caused by single genes. Yet the multiple gene disorders are by far the most common conditions affecting human health. Until recently, their sheer complexity has limited progress in our understanding of these diseases. The access to the human genome sequence, with a complete catalogue of all human genes, has opened the way to tackling all these conditions, to understand the underlying biology of each disease and speed up the development of new and better cures.
But sequencing the human genome is only a first step. Now we know that a single gene can produce more than one protein and that a different set of proteins is found in each type of cell in the body. The big challenge facing scientists is to map the human ‘proteome’. This map will unveil which proteins are made by which genes and which combination of proteins is at work in each type of cell. This process is a little more complex than just mapping the genome and will most likely take a lot longer than ten years. But it will transform our understanding of how genes build humans.
Since 1999, we have identified a huge number of genes and their activity. The speed of new discoveries in genetics has been astounding. Let us take a quick look at a short list of genes that have been identified and linked to specific activity. It will give you a glimpse at some of the crucial functions in our bodies, which we will be able to manipulate in time. Many genes have also been identified in plants and animals. As strange as it may seem, their relevance to human development can often be paramount. For example, identifying what genes make plants and insects resistant to radiation and many other characteristics that would be of benefit for human survival.
Genes in the following areas of activity have been identified:
Asthma; lung cancer; breast cancer; Alzheimer’s; hearing; large family of cancer genes; male fertility; radiation resistance – 107 genes; Parkinson’s; human hereditary genes; fat and obesity; sleep-wake cycle; UV light resistance in plants; hair loss; pain; vision; embryonic development; emphysema; azoospermia; colon cancer; neurodegenerative disease; psoriasis; tumour suppression; epilepsy; skin cancer; juvenile diabetes; cell death clock – 150 genes; learning disability; bipolar depression; Finnish company Jurilab discovered over 200 new genes linked to heart attacks and coronary disease.
This sample is just a drop in the ocean. Thousands more genes have been identified and by the time this book is released, there will be many more. There is so much more going on in this field of science that I cannot resist just outlining a few more examples:
Scientists are working on a novel kind of DNA vaccine which could protect people against a wide variety of conditions: from snake bites to HIV, by directly triggering the production of antibodies.
Biotechnologists in Massachusetts are taking animal genes that make growth-promoting proteins and putting them into oysters, to make them mature faster and produce pearls sooner. The first oysters to undergo the treatment grew 2.5 times faster than ordinary oyster shells and they also took less time to make bigger pearls. What this will do to the value of pearls is anyone’s guess at this point.
In a study of identical and non-identical twins, a medical team in London has shown that acne is 80% genetic. Environmental factors, such as eating the wrong foods or wearing greasy make-up, are relatively unimportant. They are close to identifying the genes which control the activity of acne, which will lead to more effective and cheaper acne treatment.
Hans-Hinrich Kaatz and his colleagues at Jena University in Germany did an experiment which showed that genes introduced into genetically modified plants, jump between species into bacteria in the guts of the animals eating the plants. Could these kind of jumping genes have played a role in speeding up evolution, by jumping from virus to host and altering the host’s genetic structure? This theory is presented very strongly by Sir Fred Hoyle in his book Our Place In The Cosmos and we deal with it in more detail in the Panspermia chapter.
Researchers in Cincinnati are discovering how small changes in a gene could influence a person’s tendency to abuse opiates, and distinguish between a person who is unlikely to abuse heroin or one predisposed to it. Discoveries like this will make it easier in future to pinpoint and prevent addictions. Researchers have confirmed this finding and have found several new variants of the gene, one of which appears to protect against drug addiction.
A group of genes called ‘novel genes’ apparently undergo a change when a person starts to develop prostate cancer. This can be used as an early warning system. Now all they have to do is figure out what to do with this gene and they may reverse the process.
Mutations in the FOXP2 gene on chromosome 7, have been found to cause specific language impairment. The gene seems to be necessary for the proper development of human speech and language.
The 17 CREB genes play a vital part in the mechanism of learning and memory. If one of them is not working, no long-term memory can be formed. They are switched on in real time, when the brain lays down a new memory. This means that the act of learning actually turns on these genes. It is a great argument for the evolution of genes and DNA, as it clearly displays a way in which ‘nature’ works together with ‘nurture’. This is the kind of interaction between stimulus and response, which may unlock the introns and junk genes under specific conditions, causing the release of previously unused genes, resulting in further evolution and activation of the genome.
Vasopressin and oxytocin are hormones that stimulate bonding behaviour. The vasopressin receptor gene lies on chromosome 12 in humans and is controlled by a promoter whose length varies between species. In rodents it seems to play a part in forming monogamous pairs, which means to fall in love, in human terms. Different promoter lengths have also been found among humans. This is possibly the reason why some people cannot hold down a normal relationship. It could also mean that the probability of divorce is as highly inheritable as is the possibility of a long and happy marriage.
Now, here is some emerging evidence about that elusive ‘violent’ gene I have been referring to. Research at the Institute of Psychiatry in London offers a fascinating hint of how antisocial behaviour can be affected by an interaction between genes and environment. They examined a group of New Zealanders for evidence that an abusive childhood can induce antisocial behaviour. And they found that indeed it can. But far more strongly in people of one genotype. Men who had been maltreated as children and had ‘low-active’ genes for monoamine oxidase A on the X chromosome, were much more likely to get into trouble with the law. They could be described as violent and display antisocial traits in a personality test. Those with ‘high-active’ genes were broadly resistant to the effects of childhood maltreatment. The difference between the high-active and low-active genes lies once again in the promoter lengths. Long and short promoters produce low activity, intermediate promoters produce high activity.
A gene called p53 defends you from disease and decay, but p53 also dictates how likely you are to get cancer and how fast you age. It is probably the most important molecule in the formation of cancer. Faults in the gene itself, or any of the activities it controls, are likely to be involved in the development of nearly all tumours. After 25 years of research, we are finally beginning to understand how p53 works, and how it either causes or prevents cancer.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute researchers have identified a large number of new genes that control the formation of tiny, hair-like cilia that cover the surfac
es of many organs in a wide variety of creatures. Cilia are also widely present in the human body, including the brain, nose, ears, eyes, lungs, kidneys and sperm. These genes are important because cilia are critical for transport and as sensory structures, wherever they are located.
The purpose of presenting some of these basic examples is to demonstrate how far we have come in the field of genetics over the past 25 years. Things that would have been far-fetched then, are commonplace today. We have pushed the boundaries of knowledge way beyond what we thought would be possible. But as we learn, we realise how little we know. It’s as if every new page is just the introduction to a whole book. We must remind ourselves that some of the new truths we have learnt, will be proven wrong with time. But the need for discovery and exploration is well encoded in our genome and only extinction will put a stop to it. So while we are discovering new scientific breakthroughs and celebrating its relevance to our species, we should also celebrate the ‘uncovering’ of old truths, from pre-history. The clues and the information that were left behind for us by our ancient ancestors, in the hope that we may build on their experiences, without having to learn much of their hard-earned knowledge all over again. We are a fragile species on a knife’s edge, precariously balancing between the rapid evolution towards the universal community of beings, or the destruction and extinction not only of humanity, but the entire planet. The road forward is pretty clear. But we must find a speedy solution to the millennia of propaganda, religious oppression, dogma and fear which have been entrenched so deeply in humanity, that it will take some kind of miracle from the real God, to release those who are trapped by it.
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