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When I saw this title from a CNET article, I knew it was a gross exaggeration.
X-men may be closer than you think
This is the justification for the title:
Succinctly, the human race is genetically mutating, and we now may know how and why–at least in part.
The article is about a form of oxidation (8-oxoG) causing DNA damage, specifically single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and recombinations between chromosomes. These types of mutations (and many others) are how humans evolved from slime mold to modern homo sapien and continue to evolve into who knows what form we’ll take (X-men?!) if we don’t self-destruct.
I should probably have a better sense of humor on a Friday and talking about X-men and genes certainly caught my attention. But, really, we are far from having sharp blades coming out of knuckles and the path genes are taking is definitely NOT at all close to X-men. So, don’t start freaking out!
NB: Read the comments at the end of the article. Spot on!
Also read what Carl Zimmer had to say.
Technorati Tags: xmen, x men, genes, genetics, genomics, genome, disease, health, dna
Oooh jeez.
Tris: You’re already a superhero in my eyes. *gag* ;)
2191 days ago
[...] river2sea72 Says: May 6th, 2006 at 10:18 am [...]
Yeah … preying on the desire to be a superhero …
of course I’m not sure who I’d rather be … Wolverine or Cyclops ;).
river2sea72: Sad, but true. Not to mention that the new X-men movie is being promoted now so I’m sure the commercial aspect has something to do with it. Money rules the world. :(
Well, what else can you expect of media that has to pander to a science-illiterate readership?