How the body works

The genome contains all the genes required to build and maintain the body. These processes are gradually being understood, often through research on other organisms.

news

Rare genetic disorder provides clues to development of the pancreas

A rare genetic disorder has given researchers a surprising insight into how the pancreas develops. The finding provides a clue to how it may be possible to 'programme' stem cells to become pancreatic cells. 12/12/11

Study of metabolites reveals genetic influence on human metabolism

Researchers have undertaken the most comprehensive investigation of genetic variance in human metabolism and discovered new insights into a range of common diseases. 01/09/11

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features
	A flavour for taste: Detecting the flavour of food How do we detect the flavour of food, and why do we prefer some foods to others? 15/05/07

	Timing is everything Disruption to circadian rhythms may have a big impact on health. 11/09/06

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background
	Model organisms: Fish Two species of fish are widely used as model organisms: the zebrafish primarily because of its experimental and genetic amenability, and the pufferfish because of its extraordinarily compact genome. 29/08/02

	Model organisms: Frogs and chickens Frogs and chickens provide good experimental models of vertebrate development and have therefore been adopted as model organisms even though they are not suitable for genetic analysis. 29/08/02

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"Nature is full of surprises, and you can be sure that once you think you understand something, Nature will come up with an exception." David S. Goodsell

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