||
Biotech says longer life is in your DNA
Lifestyle
Why We Should Finish the Human Genome
The consortium of governments and institutions involved in the Human Genome Project should commit to finishing the finished genome. Our recent experiments indicate that these last bits contain potentially important genes and other elements important to our health.1 In April, 2003, the Human Genome was declared complete, but a close reading shows that the actual claim was that the genome is “complete in nearly every functional way” or “is as complete as it can be.”2 It is estimated that this means it’s 99 percent percent done, and the focus since 2003 has been on acquiring more genomes, not finishing the last one percent of ours. But what if this last one percent is “functional”, and we are also
Scientific American Blog Network
Health
Messing with the genetic recipe: Fresh clues to why we're short, average or tall
How tall we are is not simply governed by the genes written in our DNA - it's also got to do with how that DNA is folded inside our cells. New research by New Zealand scientists has, for the first time, pinpointed how sections of DNA, known as SNPs, influence genes that determine height. "The techniques we used in this study will help us better identify and treat those at risk of growth disorders," says study lead, Dr Justin O'Sullivan, a geneticist at the Liggins Institute, at the University of Auckland. "What's especially exciting, is that they also offer a way to unlock the riddles of many diseases and disorders that we know can be passed on from parent to child, but that don't seem to pass
Medicalxpress.Com
Health
Biologically Speaking, This Is Why Humans Are Born To Die
According to the theory of evolution, why do we die? originally appeared on Quora: the knowledge sharing network where compelling questions are answered by people with unique insights. Answer by Suzanne Sadedin, Ph.D, evolutionary biologist, on Quora: The question of why we die is an excellent one. Before I explain the real answer, which is rather mind-bending, here are some previous arguments and why they are wrong. Myth 1: We die to make room for younger generations. Genes are selfish, and each individual body is a vehicle for a collection of genes. These genes are selected to favor the survival of copies of themselves. Since parents and offspring use the same resources, the death of a parent
Forbes
Archiver|手机版|科学网 ( 京ICP备07017567号-12 )
GMT+8, 2024-9-23 13:19
Powered by ScienceNet.cn
Copyright © 2007- 中国科学报社