Unlocking DNA: 35 Astonishing Genetic Facts – Part 2

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26Mad Cow Disease

Mad Cow Disease

Random testing has shown that far more British people carry the Mad Cow Disease prion than have shown symptoms, which is roughly 1 in 2000. The absence of symptoms is thought to be linked to genetics.


27. X-linked Dystonia-Parkinsonism is an adult-onset genetic movement disorder that affects individuals who descend from the Philippine Island of Panay. It is a neurodegenerative disease that evolves over many years, resulting in significant disability and a shortened life span.


28. In 1990, Dr. Mary-Claire King discovered the human gene BRCA1 which is linked to breast cancer. Soon after, Myriad Genetics cloned and patented it. She was sent a cease-and-desist letter to stop researching it. Finally, in 2013, the US Supreme Court ruled that human genes cannot be patented.


29. Danny DeVito’s height is the result of Fairbank’s Disease, a rare genetic disorder that affects bone growth.


30. Lactose tolerance is a genetic mutation where a cytosine (C) nucleotide in a person's DNA is replaced with thymine (T) nucleotide which allows them to digest milk.


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31Lek Paradox

Lek Paradox

Darwinian theory has no explanation for why a species with mating rituals do not completely lose all-male genetic variants since females are only attracted to certain specific male characteristics. This is known as the Lek paradox.


32. 8% of our DNA consists of remnants of ancient viruses, and another 40% is made up of repetitive strings of genetic letters that are also thought to have that origin.


33. Genetic Sexual Attraction is sometimes seen between “close blood relatives who have been separated during the critical years of development and bonding and are reunited after as adults.”


34. The skin on the body of a boy named Hassan looks like an open wound because of a genetic condition that led to his skin to be paper-thin. For treatment doctors took his skin sample, repaired his DNA, and the modified skin cells were grown to make skin grafts totaling 0.85 sq m. He now leads a normal life.


35. Between 14-21% of the population have a genetic variation known as Linburg-Comstock syndrome. This variation inhibits the ability to bend your thumb without also bending your pointer finger.

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