If it is confirmed, the theory could aid researchers in their efforts to analyze genetic information from humans and other species. With support from the National Institutes of Health, Hedgecock and other researchers conducted an extensive computerized comparison of the sequence of genetic information, known as genomes, found in yeast, the roundworm C. elegans and other nematodes, the fruit fly Drosophila, and humans.
New species arise throughout evolution.
If, for example, a gene for a protein is common to yeast and to animals, Hedgecock explains, then the protein's birth date was before the emergence of multicellular organisms. Hedgecock and his coauthors focused most of their attention on proteins involved in the creation of the exterior of the cell. Examples include the proteins that help cells stick to surfaces, proteins that help create a sheath that is the outermost boundary of a cell, and proteins that are emitted by cells. They're made of the same parts in the same order. While noting that the human genome is not completely sequenced yet, researchers reported finding some families and superfamilies of proteins present in C. elegans and other roundworms that are absent in the human genome.