August 1, 2005 (Vol. 25, No. 14)

URL:
http://innateimmunity.net

Rating:
Strong Points: Well organized information
Weak Points: Could be better explained

Summary:
How do we vary from one person to another? If you’re thinking “well d-uh, in our DNA” you’d be right in your answer and wrong in your attitude. Exactly how small sequence variations from one person to another manifest themselves is no simple topic. Fortunately, there are many researchers interested in this and working on the problem. Simple variations from one person to another are known as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and comprise a good deal of human variation. The Innate Immunity site describes research projects at the University of Arizona, BYU, and Boston Children’s Hospital. Visitors can scan through the genes being studied and click on the names to obtain more information. Over 80 genes are available, with several in progress and a boatload of information available for each. One complaint, though—access to software tools requires registration.

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