I can't believe my ears

from the New York Times:

Scientists Find Gene That Controls Type of Earwax in People

Earwax comes in two types, wet and dry. The wet form predominates in Africa and Europe, where 97 percent or more of people have it, and the dry form among East Asians. The populations of South and Central Asia are roughly half and half. By comparing the DNA of Japanese with each type, the researchers were able to identify the gene that controls which type a person has, they report in today's issue of Nature Genetics.

You just can't stop progress, can you? Think of all the millions of people out there suffering from clogged and damp earlobes for whom this finding represents the first glimmer of real hope.

It's sad that big names like Cancer and Alzheimer's get all the publicity, when teams like these, who are the real heroes of genetic research, go largely unnoticed.

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the team on their path-breaking discovery, and to assure them that I, as a fellow academic, would be happy to support them in any way I can (by providing samples for a follow on study, for instance).

After all, who knows? Today, earwax; tomorrow (dare we think it?) nostril hair. The possibilities are endless.

Categories: CurrentAffairs, Humour