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New human gene map shows unexpected differences

24 novembre 2006, 00:00

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One person’s DNA code can be as much as 10 percent different from another’s, researchers said on Wednesday in a finding that questions the idea that everyone on Earth is 99.9 percent identical genetically.

They said their new version of the human genetic map, or “book of life,”fills in many missing pages and chapters to explain how genes are involved in common diseases.“This important work will help identify genetic causes of many diseases,” Dr. Mark Walport, director of Britain’s Wellcome Trust, said in a statement.

Instead of showing single variations in human DNA that make people unique, the map looks at differences in duplications and deletions of large DNA segments known as copy number variants or CNVs, which can help explain why some people are susceptible to illnesses such as AIDS and others are not.

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