'Gene overdose' causes extreme thinness
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 - 21:30
in Paleontology & Archaeology
Scientists have discovered a genetic cause of extreme thinness for the first time. The research shows that people with extra copies of certain genes are much more likely to be very skinny. In one in 2000 people, part of chromosome 16 is duplicated, making men 23 times and women five times more likely to be underweight.