Junk DNA is probably actually junk.

Junk DNA, the huge portion of the genome that holds no valuable gene code for making proteins, may truly be junk after all – at least in plants.

Although many researchers have long believed that the mystery mass contains information simply not yet understood by science, a group of DNA experts has made a discovery to the contrary.

To unravel these mysteries, the team sequenced the genome of the carnivorous bladderwort plant.

Compared to other plant life, the genome of the bladderwort is extremely small, yet it has a similar quantity of genes as plants of like type and complexity do.

How minimalist is it? Its make-up contains 82 million letters. That’s 40 times fewer than a human and 2 thousand time less than the Japanese canopy plant.

The biggest difference is that the bladderwort has rid itself of most of its excess DNA baggage. Nonetheless, it continues to thrive and carry on with its usual day-to-day activities.

This finding has prompted the researchers to declare that the excess DNA in plants likely serves no necessary function and that may be true for other organisms, even humans.