71936 external_news 1319569456 1475893509 For years, scientists thought an ex planation would soon turn up for the vast differences be tween humans and their closest relatives among the animals, such as chimpanzees. The difference must be in the genes, biologists rea­soned. Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have now concluded that a major part of the answer lies in regions of DNA out side those that are consid­ered genes. This material was called junk DNA only a few years ago be cause it had no discernible function: un like genes it does n’t pro vide code for producing proteins, the myriad molecules that do much of the day-to-day work of keep ing the organism ticking.

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