Starting from Prototype to Immortality

Chapter 20: Genes

This issue is far more complex than it seems. The development of genomics up to this day has sparked discussions and controversies ranging from structural and functional genomics to life evolution, philosophy, and even the political landscape of academic resources. It could make for a fascinating story.

Existence is reasonable.

That's correct.

But does existence equate to usefulness? Take, for instance, our appendixes and wisdom teeth. They serve little purpose, create significant trouble, and are more remnants of human evolution than any sort of treasure.

Similarly, the 98.5% of non-coding sequences in the human genome should also be viewed dialectically.

As early as the 1960s and 70s, non-coding sequences were labeled as "junk DNA."

Yet, it didn't take long for researchers to discover that many non-coding sequences are closely related to gene transcription regulation.

Junk is not really junk, and life is far from limited to the central dogma.

So, what valuable things are hidden within these non-coding sequences? Textbook examples of classic non-coding DNA elements include promoters, enhancers, transposable elements, and biologically active small RNAs.

In the early days of molecular biology, scientists devised ingenious biochemical experiments to unravel the mysteries of life, leaving future generations in awe of their brilliance.

But in this new century dominated by high-throughput methods and big data, the research focus on non-coding DNA has undoubtedly shifted to the ENCODE Project.

This global large-scale collaborative research project is a model for biological big data and a pioneer in the field.

Dozens of research teams worldwide systematically and comprehensively scanned the biological activities of non-coding DNA in various tissues of humans and other organisms using the latest high-throughput experimental methods.

Their methods include:

ChIP-seq (to study chromatin-protein interactions),

RNA-seq (sequencing all RNA molecules in cells as a whole),

DNase-seq (sequencing chromatin regions sensitive to DNase, which are relatively loose and exposed), among others.

It's a pity CRISPR wasn't available at the time. Otherwise, testing the functions of genomic regions (both coding and non-coding) would have been highly effective (Canver et al., 2017).

Now, researchers have started catching up.

In 2012, ENCODE's findings culminated in a major breakthrough.

Commenting on this, Science magazine's Elizabeth Pennisi summarized, "This week, 30 papers were published in journals such as Nature and Science, declaring the death of the junk DNA theory. The ENCODE Project has revealed that 80% of the human genome is functional."

Of course, many counterarguments and targeted critiques followed. Chang Wei, due to his lack of expertise, dared not make arbitrary judgments.

What a joke! For a sage of an era to surpass the accumulated knowledge of a civilization and find the ultimate answer is an absurdly far-fetched notion.

Chang Wei never considered himself a genius with inspirations akin to Einstein's. When it came to the accumulation of knowledge, however, he lacked nothing.

But he felt that most of this knowledge merely collected dust in his mind rather than colliding to spark inspiration.

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"Jason Green... Location: Vandenberg Air Force Base. However, this is classified military information."

Chang Wei had a struggling figure in his grasp—none other than Randall, the top commander of Blackwatch!

"General, do you know where this base is located?" Chang Wei asked with a smile.

"You… you… nuclear bomb…"

Randall never imagined that Chang Wei would suddenly appear, obliterate his defenses, and make Blackwatch soldiers look like ants, easily crushed—and crushed they were.

Even the super soldiers disintegrated under a single punch from Chang Wei. What shocked him even more was how Chang Wei knew the name. The doctor? But wasn't the doctor already...

"It's very difficult to step over an ant without killing it, General," Chang Wei said.

"The nuclear bomb… has already… launched, you lunatic…"

Randall did not wet his pants or beg for mercy. When Chang Wei slightly loosened his grip, allowing him to recover from suffocation, his first words were about the nuclear bomb.

"Puffing yourself up like a pufferfish sometimes only makes you more attractive to predators. Besides, who told you a nuclear bomb could destroy me?"

Chang Wei looked somewhat disappointed. He knew the nuclear bomb had launched and was irretrievable, but he didn't care.

He could now accelerate himself to supersonic speeds using jet fighter-like principles of flight in a short period. Moreover, due to his size and "material strength," Chang Wei could achieve Mach speeds that fighter jets, constrained by thermal barriers, could not.

The speed of the nuclear explosion couldn't match his velocity. So, what was there to fear?

"I don't want to break my bottom line. After all, I'm not like Alex and that virus. But if you continue to withhold the information..."

Chang Wei's eyes glowed a crimson red.

Randall displayed an expression of determined defiance.

"Then I'll have the Hunter tear you apart and eat you, and then I'll eat the Hunter."

Randall's eyes widened. Wait, aren't you supposed to give me a swift death?