Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
The polemic boils down to this: orphan genes look like they popped up out of nowhere, with no similar genes in other species, so critics say "evolution can't explain brand-new functional genes from scratch."
Mainstream biologists counter that many "orphans" aren't truly new—they're either ancient genes that evolved so fast we can't spot their relatives anymore, or they really did arise de novo from non-coding DNA, which is now well-documented in flies, yeast, humans, and more.
🎙️ New to streaming or looking to level up? Check out StreamYard and get $10 discount! 😍 streamyard.com/pal/d/5786927723970560
The polemic boils down to this: orphan genes look like they popped up out of nowhere, with no similar genes in other species, so critics say "evolution can't explain brand-new functional genes from scratch."
Mainstream biologists counter that many "orphans" aren't truly new—they're either ancient genes that evolved so fast we can't spot their relatives anymore, or they really did arise de novo from non-coding DNA, which is now well-documented in flies, yeast, humans, and more.
🎙️ New to streaming or looking to level up? Check out StreamYard and get $10 discount! 😍 streamyard.com/pal/d/5786927723970560
