Turning Back Time Essay -- Biology Essays Research Papers

Turning Back TimeProgeria, an extremely rare indisposition caused by a slight agenttic defect, victimizes every 1 in 4 million children. , (3). At the moment, there are twelve cases of Progeria in the US, and no more than one hundred return been reported nigh the world. While the child suffering from Progeria exit appear to have no notes at birth, the tell tale signs of the fatal indisposition will put down to surface at heart a few months, (1). The common first symptom of a child who may be a Progerian is that the ends of their shoulder hit the books will be re-absorbed into their bodies. Soon, he or she will be tight-fitting and undersize for his or her age. Hair loss and dental decay will follow. The disease slowly eliminates body fat. Eventually the Progerian will become laid low(p) by arthritis and take on the appearance of a person atomic number 23 to ten times their age, (6).On average, a Progerian will live to be thirteen. usually their death will be due to a ca rdiovascular disease such as heart attack or stroke.Over the historic four years, a lot of progress has been made studying Progeria. Researchers have concluded the cause of this disease is most likely due to a single letter misspelling in the genetic code on a single chromosome, which is a coiled strand of DNA within the cell. After examining twenty Progerians, eighteen were found to have the uniform genetic abnormality. The 19th case had a similar misspelling in a nearby gene. The 20th case did not have classic Progeria, (2).The gene which was found to be abnormal in eighteen of the cases, is responsible for make the protein called lamin A. If this protein is defective, premature cell death occurs. This protein structures the inner layer of membrane environ the nucleus. Each Progerian e... ...theory of evolution could be found on the cover of a Hallmark birthday card. References1)Medlineplus, General reading about wellness problems and diseaseshttp//www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplu s/ency/ word/001657.htm2)Progeria Research Foundation, One of the few websites dedicated to the study of Progeriahttp//www.progeriaresearch.org/links/links.htm3)Progeria Project, Provides articles and information about Progeria http//www.progeriaproject.com/Archive/articles.htm4) Link from Berkely University Website, Interesting facts about lifespanhttp//www.cgfi.org/materials/speeches/berkely_address.htm5) the States Today, Article about Progeriahttp//www.usatoday.com/news/science/2003-04-16-agin-gene_x.htm6) CNN Link from Homepage, Detail the health issues involved with Progeriahttp//www.cnn.com/2003/HEALTH/conditions/04/17/aging.gene/