For Those Not Yet Aware ... There is a God and It works its Way via RNA!

The central dogma is being eroded, and it now appears as if DNA's cousin, the humble intermediary RNA, plays at least an equal role in genetics and the evolution of the species.

Who says so? Consider the work of Minoo Rassoulzadegan at the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research's laboratory in Nice. Last year she showed that mice could inherit white patches on their tails—normally the result of a mutation in a gene called Kit—even if they lacked the mutant gene for this trait. The white patches appeared because RNA molecules, which passed from parent to offspring after accumulating in sperm cells, overrode the demands of DNA.

Or take the work of David Haussler and his colleagues at the University of California, Santa Cruz. They have shown that a gene called HAR1F, which is probably responsible for some key differences between human and chimpanzee brains, doesn't even make a protein, only an RNA molecule. In other words, the human brain may have evolved through the guidance of RNA.

These and a host of other recent findings are rewriting the textbooks of molecular biology. They are beginning to show not only that RNA is more fundamental to genetics than once believed, but also that it can directly affect evolution and elucidate the differences between species. The result is a story that looks a lot messier, but potentially a lot more interesting, than anyone ever guessed.