Unraveling the code: What genetics can tell us about all creatures both great and small: Research on Tap

Much of the research on our genome focuses on the genes that make proteins, but those only constitute about one percent of our DNA. What about the other 99% that is considered noncoding — which was once called junk DNA? It might not be junk. As much as 80% of the genome has some biochemical function, but we remain puzzled by it’s role. Dr. Hagen and his students are studying a diverse array of species to identify genome features and decipher the role of the unknown 99%.