Genome Entry 3 : Fate

In this chapter Ridley begins by identifying genes by the diseases that they can cause to the different organs and even to the ways of suffering in order to show the difference between a gene and a mutation. In the Wolf-Hirschhorn gene, those who attain this gene are healthy and those who don't have the Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome and those who have the mutation have Huntington's chorea. In 1970, Nancy Wexler, her father and her doctor decided to research the gene because she knew that she might carry the gene. It was finally found in 1993. The number of repetitions  of CAG signifies at what age the carrier will exhibit the symptoms. The number of repetitions increase over time especially in sperm production but not in the cerebellum. Ridley then talks about how people handle fate by testing positive for Huntington's and how it is not always the best thing to diagnose a disease that can not be cured.