🧬 For decades, biology treated the human genome as a tidy instruction manual—genes neatly encoding proteins, surrounded by vast stretches of supposedly irrelevant DNA.

🧬As sequencing and molecular tools advanced, that picture fractured: scientists uncovered transposable elements, viral remnants, regulatory RNAs—and even unexpected, tiny non-canonical proteins, often called the “dark proteome.”

🚮 Today, we know that much of this presumed “junk” DNA is biochemically active under specific conditions, forming an interconnected network of regulatory elements, mobile sequences, non-coding RNAs, and largely uncharacterized proteins.

💥 Some scientists believe this dark genomic layer acts as an adaptive reserve, helping genomes respond to stress, disease, and environmental change.

➡️ In this episode Andreas S. Horchler and I a fascinating discussion with Dr. Sudhakaran Prabakaran, Associate Teaching Professor at Northeastern University, CEO of biotech NonExomics, and author of the upcoming book Eclipsed Horizons, which explores the dark genome, the proteome, evolution, and speculative futures for both humanity and the planet.

Tune into the new episode of the BioRevolution podcast here:

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"Eclipsed Horizons presents a revolutionary perspective on the human genome, challenging the conventional notion that non-coding DNA is merely 'junk.' Through rigorous scientific analysis, the book reveals that these vast non-coding regions—comprising 98% of our genome—function as a sophisticated adaptive reservoir with latent potential that activates in response to environmental challenges."

Source line: — World Scientific Publishing

Link: https://www.worldscientific.com/worldscibooks/10.1142/q0537

"If biology and evolution are known to keep things simple and efficient, if it is just using 1% or so of the genome, why would it keep the remaining 98%? There must be some reasons for it. Now we are discovering those reasons."

Source line: — Phys.org, July 2025

Link: https://phys.org/news/2025-07-secrets-dark-genome-drug-discoveries.html

"Think about the analogy of flying over the Himalayas at 30,000 feet. We only see the tallest peaks, but as we come down to 20,000 feet and 10,000 feet, we start seeing other things in the landscape—more proteins, more regions that we know as functional or active or both."

Source line: — Northeastern Global News, July 2025

Link: https://news.northeastern.edu/2025/07/16/dark-genome-research/