KEYS TO THE KINGDOM

THE DISCOVERY AND MANIPULATION OF HUMAN GENES--TOGETHER WITH THE USE OF SPECIAL NEW DRUGS--ARE UNLOCKING A FUTURE IN WHICH THE HUMAN BODY PROMISES TO CONFOUND AND DEFEAT ITS ANCIENT ENEMIES

As he chats with the young mother, the doctor flicks a cotton swab into the mouth of her infant son, collecting a small sample of mucus from inside his cheek. In the back room of his office, he inserts the sample into a machine, which extracts DNA from the mucus cells and compares it with the genetic material on a dime-size chip. Minutes later, a computer printer begins to spit out a list of the infant's genes. Fortunately, all but a few of the genes are labeled "normal." It is those few that the doctor discusses as he explains the results...

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