'Junk' DNA reveals vital role: Inscrutable genetic sequences seem indispensable.

'Junk' DNA reveals vital role: Inscrutable genetic sequences seem indispensable.: "Scientists are puzzling over a collection of mystery DNA segments that seem to be essential to the survival of virtually all vertebrates. But their function is completely unknown.

The segments, dubbed 'ultraconserved elements', lie in the large parts of the genome that do not code for any protein. Their presence adds to growing evidence that the importance of these areas, often dismissed as junk DNA, could be much more fundamental than anyone suspected."