Ghosts of the Genome

I’m here at SFARI’s first annual meeting in New Orleans, and last night in her keynote address, genetics giant Mary Claire King predicted that as scientists study autism and schizophrenia, they are likely to find thousands — yes, thousands — of big or small unique gene mutations in hundreds of genes involved in dozens of pathways.These staggering numbers may help explain what’s always puzzled me about autism: that it’s a fairly common disorder with strong genetic roots, and yet includes an incredibly diverse range of behaviors.Read more at...SFARI, April 2009.