[1] How tall you are is strongly related to the genes you
inherit, and previous studies suggested that as much as
80% of the variance in height among people is due to their
DNA. And in the largest genetic study of height-related
[5] genes to date, scientists have identified 423 genetic
regions connected to height – which could explain as
much as 60% of that genetic component.
Dr. Joel Hirschhorn, leader of the GIANT consortium
at Harvard Medical School says that for a trait like height,
[10] which isn’t determined by a single gene but likely the
combined effects of multiple genes involved in multiple
different processes from bone growth to cell growth, the
new findings are like finding biggest nuggets of gold in
a riverbed. The latest analysis, published in the journal
[15] Nature Genetics, describes the gene variants most
commonly shared among people that likely contribute to
height.
They emerged from a sweep of the genomes of
more than 250,000 people of various heights, and from
[20] correlating their stature with their genetics. Many of the
known and familiar factors related to height, including
those dealing with skeletal growth and collagen that
are mutated in people with medically short stature, for
example, appeared in the study, confirming their role in
[25] determining how tall people get.
But there were also some surprises ‒ genetic regions
that previously had never been thought to be related
to height, including a gene known to be involved in cell
growth but not in skeletal functions. “It’s a mix ranging
[30] from completely known things, to those that make sense
to things that are completely surprising and things we don’t
even know what to think about them,” says Hirschhorn.
What the group has identified are gene regions of
interest, and a new round of studies will have to delve
[35] deeper into those areas to isolate specific genes that
are actually responsible for determining height. But it’s a
critical first step, and could lead to potential new ways of
treating medical conditions of short stature or gigantism
that can have negative health effects on the heart and
[40] joints.
PARK, Alice. New genes found that determine your height. Disponível em: <http://www.time.com/3462490/nev-gines-found-that-determine-your-height>. Acesso em: 14 abr. 2015. Adaptado.
“the new findings are like finding biggest nuggets of gold in a riverbed.” (l.12-14)
This sentence means that Dr. Hirschhorn considers the discoveries to be of ___________ importance.
The alternative that completes this blank correctly is
