Researchers discover one million new components of the human genome

Discovery of Nearly One Million New Exons: Researchers at the University of Toronto found almost one million new exons, shedding light on the "dark genome," which constitutes the majority of the human genome.

Exon Trapping Technique: The team utilized exon trapping, combined with high-throughput sequencing, to identify these exons, providing a deeper understanding of the human genome's complexity.

Challenging Assumptions in Molecular Genetics: The study questioned the traditional exon definition model, revealing that many newly discovered exons are not consistently present across different species, indicating evolution involves trial and error.

Potential Health Implications: Long non-coding RNA exons discovered in the study have been linked to cancer development, highlighting the importance of cataloging and understanding these genomic elements.

Improving Splicing Predictions: Insights from the study could enhance tools like SpliceAI for predicting splice sites and aberrant splicing, offering new avenues for exploring and decoding the dark genome.