There’s a weasel in that thar double helix
It’s DNA day! I got a mailing from 23andme earlier:
Today we celebrate the discovery of the double helix of DNA in 1953 and the completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003.
They just say ‘we celebrate’ — not that it’s an actual anniversary or anything. And, since they sell DNA testing, I’m’a assume it’s one of those made up holidays, like National Stinky Cheese Day or Mother’s Day. In which case, they missed a trick by not picking the 23rd of some month.
Anyhoo, there were several interesting DNA-related articles accompanying the mailer, like this one: now that they have a grasp of some of the markers that indicate a susceptibility to disease, one new avenue of research is to look at people who have a vulnerability to certain conditions but never developed the condition.
Or not yet, anyway. It’s leading to some novel ways to look at health problems, and I’m all for novel ways of looking at things.
The project leader gave a TED talk about it — never a good sign — but it still sounds promising. Link to the project itself here.
And don’t forget to hug your genome today.
April 25, 2016 — 9:34 pm
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