Re: Article: Variation in Color Vision Genes May Have Helped Humans See the Fruit for the Trees
From: firstjois (firstjoisyike_at_hotmail.com)
Date: 07/21/04
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Date: Tue, 20 Jul 2004 22:41:59 -0400
Robert Karl Stonjek wrote:
>> Variation in Color Vision Genes May Have Helped Humans See the Fruit
>> for the Trees
>> Sarah Graham
>>
>> Eight percent of men experience red-green color blindness, which
>> results from mutations in genes that code for light-sensitive
>> pigments. But a new study suggests that even men who aren't color
>> blind may see the world differently than women do, thanks to natural
>> selection.
>> Brian Verrelli of Arizona State University and Sarah Tishkoff of the
>> University of Maryland analyzed genetic data from 236 people from
>> around the world. Specifically, they studied a gene on the X
>> chromosome known as OPN1LW, which codes for a protein that detects
>> visible light in the red spectrum. Exchange of material between this
>> gene and a neighboring gene associated with green light leads to a
>> high amount of genetic variation but can result in color blindness
>> if the process goes awry. Among the study participants the
>> researchers found 85 variants of the gene. "That's approximately
>> three times higher than what you see at any other random gene in the
>> human genome," Tishkoff says. "Usually it's a bad thing to have too
>> much change in a gene, and natural selection gets rid of it. But in
>> this case we're seeing the reverse."
>>
>> The increased variation enhances the ability to discriminate between
>> colors in the red-orange spectrum, particularly among females,
>> because they have two copies of the X chromosome. Previous research
>> in other primates has suggested that enhanced red vision in females
>> allows them to better distinguish between berries and foliage when
>> they are gathering food, Verrelli explains. If females did the
>> gathering in prehistoric times, as many experts believe, that may
>> explain why genetic variation promoting color sensitivity persists
>> today. "We can't explicitly test it, but the model fits," Verrelli
>> says. The results will appear in the September issue of the American
>> Journal of Human Genetics. --Sarah Graham
>>
>> From Scientific American
>> http://cl.extm.us/?fe8e1c727162067576-fe3016707360067c711779
>>
>> Posted by
>> Robert Karl Stonjek.
I this why guy have so much trouble picking out their own ties? And then
what about gay guys? Isn't there a TV program . . .
Jois
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