Genome BOW 10: Self-Interest

Genomes is broken up into many different paragraphs (called .exons) and in between has long stretches (called introns). Genes are protein recipes, but not  all are the best. The common one in the entire genome is called reverse transciptase, it is a gene that that has no purpose at all. The role of reverse transcriptase is that it takes an RNA copy of a gene and copies it back into DNA and puts it back into the genome like a return ticket for a copy of a gene. It means that aids virus can get a copy of its own genome into human DNA to conceal it and maintain it, to get it copied faster. Selfish DNA adds to the size of the genome and therefore to the energy cost of copying the genome. It is in habit of jumping from one location too another or sending copies to new location  it will land in the middle of the working genes which messed them up and then jumping out again causing the mutation to revert. DNA fingerprinting has changed not only forensic science but other fields as well, it helped proved innocent people were right. It has been simplified so single sites of minisatelites can be used to give unique bar codes. The application of DNA fingerprinting to paternity test changed our understanding of bird song, from am experiment biologist discovered that most monogamous of birds where just one male and one female faithfully help each other to rear the brood and the females mate quite often with neighboring males other then other ostensible spouses. All in all,  male birds sings hard when already married because they are looking for affairs.