Scientists Identify Genetic Cues for a Big Heart
Bigger isn’t always better, even when it comes to the body’s most vital organs. An enlarged or thickened cardiac muscle can actually force the heart to work harder to pump blood throughout the body, weakening the organ until it eventually wears out. Despite the disastrous consequences of oversized organs, researchers have just begun to uncover the circuitry of signals that govern growth. What they do know comes in large part from genes of the tiny fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. Over the years, biologists have deleted or suppressed tens of thousands of genes in the fly genome, aptly naming ...
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