ENCODE (Image: Ed Yong)

The recent dustup over the ENCODE project and its confusing finding that “80% of DNA is functional” surprises me greatly. What surprises me especially is that people are surprised by junk DNA. Unfortunately this time the scientists are also culpable since, while the publicity surrounding ENCODE has been a media disaster, the 80% claim originated in the scientific papers themselves. There is no doubt that the project itself – which represents a triumph of teamwork, dogged pursuit, technological mastery and first-rate science – has produced enormously useful data, and there is no doubt it will continue to do so. What is in doubt is how long it will take for the public damage to be repaired.