The Functions of Intron s : From Junk DNA to Designed DN A

The research on functions for introns in the cell is reviewed. Darwinists once generally argued that nonprotein coding DNA are relics of once-functioning genes or useless “junk” DNA that strongly argued against design of the genome. The fact that an enormous quantity of cell resources and energy is invested in these putative vestigial structures, especially in the complex intron splicing mechanism, argues that introns have important biological functions including a means of facilitating genetic diversification. Evidence now exists that introns have many functions, including for regulation and structural purposes, and that many of the roles now hypothesized for introns are plausible but need further elucidation. The author concluded that the new knowledge related to introns supports the intelligent design world view.