Some of your DNA may not code for any protein and has no known function in gene regulation; it is sometimes referred to as "junk" DNA. How do nucleotide sequences of "junk DNA" evolve?

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Biology

Cristopher Boyer

3 January, 13:32

Some of your DNA may not code for any protein and has no known function in gene regulation; it is sometimes referred to as "junk" DNA. How do nucleotide sequences of "junk DNA" evolve?

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Yair Faulkner · Answer 1

Answer: They evolve through genetic drift.

Explanation: Junk DNA refers to noncoding sections of a genome. It consists of repeated segments scattered randomly throughout the genome generated through transposition or movement of sections of DNA to different positions in the genome.

Genetic drift is the change in the frequency of an allele in a population due to random sampling of organisms. This process is caused by spontaneous mutations and may cause the alleles to disappear completely and thereby reduce genetic variation. Many of these genetic alterations are in regions of "junk DNA"