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THE GENETIC EQUIVALENT OF DARK MATTER? Only 3% of human DNA encodes the physical body (proteins). The remaining 97% of the 3 million base pair genome contains over a million genetic structures, called transposons or jumping genes or formerly "junk DNA". Because they do not make protein we have not called them genes, but clearly they have an enormous evolutionary advantage to have survived as foreign genetic elements. We exhibit extreme hubris to call these elements "Junk". View in LinkedIn

CYBORG HISTORY REVIEW. A light anecdotal view from Brighton UK. " " http://lnkd.in/UvGG34 View in LinkedIn

JUMPING GENES occupy about half of the human genome, compared to the tiny region of genes coding proteins. "The completion of the first human genome sequence revealed that nearly half of our genome is derived from (jumping genes). This is likely to be an underestimate, as many ancient (jumping genes) in the human genome have probably diverged beyond recognition. The scale of the contribution of (jumping genes) to the human genome is all the more remarkable when one considers that protein-coding regions account for just 1.5% of the human genome."" " http://lnkd.in/FekDZi View in LinkedIn

CHIMERIC LIFE FORMS. "Human-to-animal embryonic chimeras are being produced; also human-to-animal fetal or adult chimeras (by grafting human cellular material to late-stage nonhuman fetuses or to postnatal nonhuman creatures); human-to-human embryonic, fetal, or adult chimeras (inserting or grafting exogenous human cellular material to human embryos, fetuses, or adults); animal-to-human embryonic, fetal, or adult chimeras (inserting or grafting nonhuman cellular material to Human embryos, fetuses, or adults)."" " http://lnkd.in/cPxYsA View in LinkedIn

FOREIGN SPECIES ORIGIN OF HUMAN JUMPING GENES: transposons may be silenced (non-coding) by epigenetic mechanisms, which may have led to the idea that they are "junk DNA", but this is a misguided idea. "The distribution of (jumping genes) suggests that they might have been generated in a common ancestor of vertebrates and might then have survived in most vertebrates in the genome of a common ancestor about 540 million years ago or even more...."" " http://lnkd.in/BMXaAshttp://lnkd.in/CCzK4Q View in LinkedIn

CROSSING SPECIES BOUNDARIES opens the possible. This is a reality. "Consider, for instance, the print and pictorial publicity surrounding the growth of a human ear on the back of a mouse; the plight of Alba, artist Eduardo Kac’s green-phlorescent-protein bunny stranded in Paris; the birth announcement in Nature of ANDi, the first transgenic primate; and, most recently, the growth of pigs’ teeth in rat intestines, and miniature human kidneys in mice."" " http://lnkd.in/cPxYsA View in LinkedIn

CREATION OF NEW GENES invigorates genetic diversity and massively accelerates evolutionary capacity. The mechanisms of nature are super-creative, shuffling the deck of cards constantly. Read this superb review of our current understanding of gene creation and rearrangement. " " http://lnkd.in/_9cauu. View in LinkedIn

FLEXIBLE SILK ELECTRONICS permit biological applications such as a sense of touch, and heart and mind monitoring, and so much more. Hard and inflexible silicon microelectronics are significantly limiting for human enhancement; this is a vital development. " " http://lnkd.in/TuSZ_8 View in LinkedIn

HUMAN JUMPING GENES (or transposons or "junk DNA") make up a whopping 50% of the human genome and a blistering 90% of maize genomes. Some are silenced and some are pathogenic, but the genetic diversity created is an evolutionary driver. At least in some species, the jumping gene vectors may be parasites and viruses. " " http://lnkd.in/GEpmJN View in LinkedIn

LATERAL GENE TRANSFER generated evolutionarily important fungal antibiotic defense chemicals across 100 species. "Horizpntal transfer of gene clusters may have been a big player not only in the evolution of bacteria but also in more complex organisms. Our discovery that one of the largest gene clusters responsible for making such a poison moved intact between species suggests that horizontal transfers of wholesale pathways may have contributed significantly to the generation of diversity."" " http://lnkd.in/kPywUH View in LinkedIn