Book Opener

IcelandIf you could cure any disease in the world, what would it be? Multiple Sclerosis?Cancer? One day, this question might be outdated. In 1999, Iceland’s parliament,in the first legislation of its kind, gave a local biotech company permission to builda database from the health files of all its citizens. Many scientists believe that thiscollection of medical information can help unravel the genetic, or hereditary, causeof disease.Iceland makes the perfect laboratory for such an endeavor. Icelanders are amostly homogenous people whose families have lived in isolation on the island formore than 1,000 years. In such an environment, medical and genealogical datacan be matched to pinpoint diseases that run in families. This information enablesscientists to search for the genes that cause specific diseases. As one scientistexplains, “If you’re trying to find a diabetes gene in the American population, it’salmost impossible because we all have very different histories and ancestries.” InIceland’s “simpler genetic landscape,” however, the mutant gene should stand outlike a beacon. After the mutation is discovered, a treatment is that much closer.Here’s a snapshot of Iceland.Geographical area 39,769 sq. mi.Population 279,384CapitalReykjavikLegal systemCivil law basedon Danish lawLanguageIcelandicReligion87.1% Evangelical LutheranLife expectancy 80 yearsCritical Thinking Question A gene is a minute part of a cell that gives us our mother’scurly hair, our father’s straight nose, and maybe even our grandmother’s outgoingpersonality. What traits or characteristics do you have that are like those of otherfamily members? For more information on Iceland, visit ubpl.glencoe.comor your local library.Chapter 27: Sole Proprietorship and Partnership 595