Gene, protein, function, and fate were strung in a chain: one chemical alteration in one base pair in DNA was sufficient to "encode" a radical change in human fate.

Siddharta Mukherjee
Gene, protein, function, and fate were strung in a chain:...
Gene, protein, function, and fate were strung in a chain:...
Gene, protein, function, and fate were strung in a chain:...
Gene, protein, function, and fate were strung in a chain:...
About This Quote

In this quote, Francis Crick, co-discoverer of the structure of DNA, is describing how a single change in the code of a single gene can produce a radical change in human fate. He is saying that no matter what you do to your body, no matter how you live your life, every person has a set of genes that determines his or her destiny. You might think that no matter what you do, you will never live to see your fifties. But there is more to it than that.

No matter how you live your life, there is a set of genes that determine your fate. You might have been born with some genetic traits that predispose you to certain diseases or disorders. In those cases, those genes can lead to changes in those traits as you age.

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