How A "Superbaby" Is Helping To Find Muscular Dystrophy Treatments 93
An anonymous reader writes to tell us that a baby boy with unusually big muscles — caused by a gene mutation — is helping scientists to discover new muscular dystrophy drugs. "Myostatin was discovered in mice in 1992 in Lee's Johns Hopkins lab. In 1996 he proved its importance by showing that mice without the myostatin-producing gene got twice as big. The next year he discovered that the bulging Belgian Blue cow was a myostatin mutant, the first of eight prized cattle breeds later found to have the mutation. The company he had co-founded, MetaMorphix, is working on manipulating myostatin to beef up livestock. Wyeth picked up the rights to develop a drug for humans. Its experimental antibody drug produced bulked-up mice in 2002, and results of a trial in adults with muscular dystrophy are expected as early as March."
Re:Cool, but no silver bullet. (Score:2, Interesting)
Still a great relief for me (Score:5, Interesting)
Unintentional Comedy? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Muscles are attractive (Score:5, Interesting)
That being said, I would say around 3-4 generations (90 - 120 years). There was once a time when a full figured woman with curves was 'attractive'. It showed you were child bearing and rich (since food wasn't as easy to come by.) In most cultures it still is in. It just seems to be in 1st world countries that 'thin is in'.
Breasts however... are still in.
Re:Muscles are attractive (Score:4, Interesting)
Consider for example various competitions between animals: Who has the largest horns, who has the biggest and prettiest tail, etc. There's some breed of bird where the male creates a display of various pretty things to attract a female. Pretty much all that can be reduced to "If I could find the time and energy to haul all that stuff around, then obviously I'm a good mate, and you want my genes"
In human society, expensive clothes are appreciated. When being fat meant that you had enough resources to waste, being fat was attractive. Now that effort is required to be slim instead (to the point of it costing more than being fat) being slim is attractive.
Re:Still a great relief for me (Score:3, Interesting)