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Post by lauradora on Dec 7, 2008 16:27:49 GMT -7
Why hasn't the Cystic Fibrosis gene changed in the last 50 years?
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Post by Pem on Dec 8, 2008 15:36:33 GMT -7
With the recent events that have happened at Calerton University in Ottawa I'm not too surprised that interest in the disease has again peaked. As you may know Cystic Fibrosis is a genetic disease caused by a mutation which prevents mucus production in the lungs, liver, pancreas and intestines.
Now from your question you want to know what it hasn't changed in the last 50 years? Well I'll answer that as concisely as I can. Genes generally don't change very often and very rarely within an individual. In order for an entire body to have a different gene a mutation must have occurred in a gamete cell being either and egg or sperm. Basically evolution on a gene scale. Unfortunately the chances of this happening are staggering, especially when only considering one generation. Therefore 50 years is just not enough for anything to really change on a genetic scale, especially with our long reproductive cycles.
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