Wednesday, September 12, 2012

You Can Run As Fast As Usain Bolt!

Seriously, you can run as fast as Usain Bolt!

Not joking!

Scientists involved in the Encode Project have discovered that much of the DNA that was once thought to be largely junk, is really full of genetic switches that determine which gene must be switched on to make a muscle, skin or nerve cell. In other words, the switches largely determine what's going on in our body.

Scientists now believe that diseases are not caused by defective genes as by defective switching. For example, they are saying that a liver cell may be tripped to stop the absorption of blood sugar thereby causing diabetes and so on.

They are now saying that the difference between a healthy person and one who is not may be down to gene switching and that it seems likely that many of the differences between one person and another say, between Bolt and us, may be similarly due to different patterns of gene switching.

Ergo, the kind of gene switching medicine that will cure diseases may be turned to therapies to make us into Usain Bolt terrors!

2 comments:

  1. I read a great article in National Geographic magazine of February 2009 concerning Darwin, evolution and how certain genes are switched on which makes us different to each other and to animals. The genetic make-up is all the same but for how activated or deactivated particular genes are.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The jury is still out there, Duncan, but fascinating discovery. I have not read that issue of National Geographic, however.

    ReplyDelete

Kluang's Little Bangsar

Kluang's Little Bangsar
Click To Visit

Kamini's Indian Wedding - Click To Visit

Kamini's Indian Wedding - Click To Visit
I attended my neighbour's daughter's Indian wedding dinner at the Sentul HGH Convention Centre. Click for a peek

Yasmin Ahmad - Click To Visit

Yasmin Ahmad - Click To Visit
Yasmin Ahmad was arguably Malaysia's best story-teller, filmmaker and advertiser. She was well known for her Petronas commercials and had won numerous international awards including the Golden Lion award for the 'Tan Ming Hong In Love' commercial. Her feature film Sepet not only garnered her several international awards including for Best Asian Film but also drew multi-racial audiences that rarely happens for a local film.

Genting Highlands - Click To Visit

Genting Highlands - Click To Visit
Genting Highlands Is A Popular Retreat With A Casino

Batu Caves - Click To Visit

Batu Caves - Click To Visit
Malaysia's Famous Landmark. Note The Statue Of Lord Muruga And The 272 Steps To The Temple Cave In The Background

Petronas Twin Towers And KLCC Park - Click To Visit

Petronas Twin Towers And KLCC Park - Click To Visit
Petronas Twin Towers Are Still The World's Tallest Twin Towers

Some Early Morning Views Of KL City Skyline - Click To Visit

Some Early Morning Views Of KL City Skyline - Click To Visit
Some early morning views of the KL city sykline I took from the 3rd floor of the KL Court with a low-pixel hand-phone camera

Kluang Town - Click To Visit

Kluang Town - Click To Visit
Kluang was a sleepy hollow, but is fast becoming a bustling town. You can't miss the bust-shaped gunung Lambak lording over the place and the town is well known for its tv brand coffee powder

Kluang RailCoffee

Kluang RailCoffee
The Kluang railway station coffee shop, now re-branded Kluang RailCoffee, is well known for its cuppa of coffee and the charcaol grilled piping hot buns oozing with butter and kaya...It used to attract standing-room only crowds. It still does, but the last time I was there it wasn't a good experience for me. The famous coffee had somewhat lost its oomph and even the buns...The shop has a long and noted history being first opened for business in 1938 and the place is now run by the 3rd generation LIm family. I hope the next time I return, the coffee would regain its oomph. Click to read more...