Humans are accumulating genetic mutations at an alarming rate, two UK-based biologists have reported in a recent issue of the science journal Nature . These findings have led to speculations that modern healthcare is letting harmful mutations to accumulate much faster than they would otherwise. Genetic mutations can be dangerous, often manifesting in subsequent generations. Biologists have long suspected that human genes, like those of other hominids, are particularly vulnerable to mutations. Researchers Adam Eyre-Walker of the University of Sussex, UK, and Peter Keightley of the University of Edinburgh, UK, compared the rates of mutation accumulation in humans with their closest counterparts -- chimpanzees and gorillas. They confirmed that homo sapiens do have a high rate, with some 4.2 amino acids-altering mutations occurring in each generation. Keightley believes that around a third of these mutations are sufficiently harmful and are removed by natural selection. The researchers say that even though the harmful mutations are eliminated, some deleterious mutations may survive. Further, the standard of living people of developed nations enjoy might encourage these mutations to accumulate faster than they would in a more demanding environment. James Crow of the University of Wisconsin, USA, thinks that modern healthcare facilities mean lesser chances of survival of these people in more primitive conditions.
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