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RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTSURLsAn adaptive view of non-coding DNAFURTHER READING Kondrashov, A. S.

Evolutionary biology: Fruitfly genome is not junk.

Nature 437, 1106 (2005)WEB SITEPeter Andolfattos home page: http://www.

biology.ucsd.edu/faculty/andolfatto.htmlIncreasing evidence indicates that

although most DNA in eukaryotic

genomes is non-coding it is far from

being non-functional. An investigation of evolutionary patterns in the

Drosophila genome now reinforces

this theory by showing that noncoding DNA has been shaped by

adaptive evolution a finding that

throws into further doubt the neutral

theory of evolution.By assessing sequence divergence

between Drosophila melanogaster

and its close relative Drosophila

simulans, Peter Andolfatto examined the evolutionary rate of different types of genomic element. This

indicated that non-coding regions

Genome evolution: An adaptive view of non-coding DNA