Finger (Mal)formation Reveals Surprise Function of Desert DNA

Fra Science Daily, Nov. 28, 2011: — Scientists from the EPFL and the University of Geneva have discovered a genetic mechanism that defines the shape of our members in which, surprisingly, genes play only a secondary role. The research published in Cell, online the 23rd of November, shows the mechanism is found in a DNA sequence that was thought, incorrectly, to play no role. This long string has seven enhancers which, when combined with one another, modulate the activity of the genes responsible for the formation of the fingers -- an important fundamental discovery for the field of genetics.

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