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November 23, 2006 Abnormal is the New Normal 
Can I tell you how happy this new study makes me? "Using new technology to study the genomes of 270 volunteers from four corners of the world, researchers have found that while people do indeed inherit one chromosome from each parent, they do not necessarily inherit one gene from mom and another from dad. "One parent can pass down to a child three or more copies of a single gene. In some cases, people can inherit as many as eight or 10 copies. "In rare instances a person might be missing a gene. "Yet despite these anomalies, they still appear to be healthy -- countering the notion of what doctors have deemed "normal" in genetics. "The work highlights how DNA helps to make each human unique, hinting that a towering basketball player, for example, might boast extra copies of a growth gene or that a daughter really might be more like her dad. "But the landmark report, published today by the journal Nature, also has disturbing implications. "It suggests that some medical tests --such as prenatal scans -- may have incorrectly flagged these kinds of genetic quirks as signs of potential defects." Later in the article the researchers compare the genome to an accordian, that can expand or shrink to accomodate the number of genes passed down, and which in most cases still results in a completely healthy person. Take that, genetic determinism! And that, cultural imperatives of conformity masked as medical expertise! And that, people who are predisposed to see anything that looks other than what they were expecting and automatically conclude that it is wrong! Ha! I wasn't going to post today, but reading this set off my internal cheering section, and I know some of you will be happy to read it too. There is no normal, not when it comes to genes. What unites us, contrary to the article's lead paragraph, isn't the supposed 99.9% of the genome we have in common--which turns out to be a myth--but that we are all different. We share our differences. Posted by Andrea at November 23, 2006 9:40 AM under Doctors, Geneticists and Other Charlatans EMAIL this entry (comments fields are below this section) Comments Include me in the cheering section! :) Posted by: Christine at November 23, 2006 11:07 AM
That's a great article!! HOORAY!! I'm finally deemed normal!! Yayyy!!! It took long enough! Posted by: LauraJ at November 23, 2006 11:32 AM
Yeah! Once again nature isn't the tidy system our brains want to find. Our genes are glorious and complex, and full of surprises--just like the people they build. Posted by: Penny at November 23, 2006 12:08 PM
Goooooo NATURE!!!! Posted by: liz at November 23, 2006 11:05 PM
I wish I had an opportunity to vote for you again on the twenty-fifth. You are my number one. I love your hippos go berserk header because for so long passionate, opinionated, angst-ridden grandchild could not bear to listen to the hippos leaving. After hippos went berserk it was necessary to begin again. No body gets to leave in this baby's book. But like 'Brown bear, brown bear...' we could all recite the book from memory. Grandson was dazzled. Posted by: Gillian at November 24, 2006 2:42 AM
Go Berserk |
Change is God (Octavia Butler, Parable Series) "What is an anarchist? One who, choosing, accepts the responsibility of choice." Ursula le Guin Email Frances! frances AT athenadreaming DOT org You can email her mother too (that's me):
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