RE: Turtles and Crocodylians are not Reptiles - no? What are they?

[Tim Williams <twilliams_alpha@hotmail.com>]

Erik Boehm wrote:

> Ones which have a mutation in the promoter function, and are no longer 
> functional coding DNA, but the sequence is unmistakable for a gene encoding 
> protein, and it was inferred to be functional in the past, but probably 
> became non-functional after a duplication event allowed another version of it 
> to evolve, 
> eventually replacing the first gene's function.
>
> I have heard of this referred to by the term "fossil" DNA- by non 
> paleontologists of course. Perhaps vestigial DNA is a better term.


Or 'pseudogene'.



Cheers, Tim


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