Sunday, February 27, 2011

Debating the Existence of Junk DNA


The sixth question for my students is ...
Do you think that most of the DNA in our genome is junk? Explain your answer.
This requires that the students take a position and defend it. That means they have to understand both sides of the argument in order to engage in truly critical thinking. It doesn't matter which side you take—I'll even accept a wait-and-see position if it's well argued.

We've seen repeatedly in the scientific literature and on the blogs that many professional scientists couldn't pass this question on an exam. Is it naive to think that undergraduates can master a topic like this?

[Dog Ass Plots] [Genome Size, Complexity, and the C-Value Paradox]

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