Back to Page Contents Human gene mysteries start to unravel February 12 - Human biology is not much more complex than that of flies and worms, according to a major analysis of the human gene map published today. Human beings have no more than 40,000 genes and perhaps as few as 30,000 - compared with 13,000 found in the fly and 18,000 in the nematode worm, scientists found. Six months after the human genome project was completed, scientists have unveiled their first analysis of it in the profession's two leading journals, Nature and Science. The sequence unveiled today by the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium unlocks new ways of exploring those influences. Writing in Science, Jean-Michel Claverie, of Marseille, France, warns that the pharmaceutical industry may soon run out of genes to study.
Men have a battle to survive genetically.
Humans share 99.99 per cent of the genome with each other. Just 0.01 per cent accounts for racial and other variations, according to Craig Venter, of the private gene researchers, Celera Genomics. The team found that the most active genes were clustered together - making it easier to identify those critical to cancer development. Page Contents Sleepiness linked to stroke February 15 - People who nod off to sleep during the day face a massively increased risk of having a stroke, a conference heard today. Those who suffer from day-time sleepiness are three times as likely as others to suffer a stroke, the International Stroke Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA, was told.