A Reader Asks, "Are De Novo Genes Real?"

We get good questions here at Evolution News. (Give us yours by hitting the orange Email Us button at the top of the page.) Today, a reader writes to ask, "Are de novo genes real?" This is a question that touches on a number of topics relevant to evolutionary biology, dealing with one of the most exciting aspects of genomic research today. So what are these things called de novo genes?

De novo genes are genes that are present in a particular species or taxonomic group, and not present in any...