Directions for Building a Supermodel

Genes for height and weight abound this week. In mice, weight is regulated in part by the adp regulatory gene, reported a team from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. This gene is located in a region of the genome already associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes. Another group used a genome-wide search of more than 34,000 people to find that the HMGA2 gene affects height, though only a small percentage of variation is seen among people. The researchers, though, are still on the lookout for more height genes.

We at GTO are wondering when someone is going to use this knowledge to build an army of supermodels -- and whether RNAi can be used to turn us into supermodels, too.