Genetic differences between individuals come in big chunks just like
self-assembly furniture. While studying the bowel disorder Crohn’s disease, Mark
Daly, Eric Lander and their team at the Whitehead Genome Center in Boston found
that genetic defects which make people susceptible to the disease lie in
clusters or “haplotypes” at specific regions on chromosomes. They urge
biologists to make a comprehensive map of these DNA chunks to help doctors spot
patients at high risk of any disease with a genetic link (Nature
Genetics, vol 29, p 223 and p 229).
To continue reading, today with our introductory offers
Advertisement
More from Â鶹´«Ã½
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Popular articles
Trending Â鶹´«Ã½ articles
1
We've found a mysterious substance on Titan and Pluto
2
Has the answer to life's origins been hiding in our cells all along?
3
We may finally have a cure for many different autoimmune conditions
4
Fully autonomous drones have killed human soldiers for the first time
5
Complex life on Earth may last 500 million years longer than expected
6
These are the extinct humans that live on in your DNA
7
A quantum state that lasts forever may finally be within our grasp
8
A new measure of health is revolutionising how we think about ageing
9
Remarkable fossils rewrite the story of how animals conquered the land
10
Realising the importance of our microbiome: Best ideas of the century
