While dinosaurs have not yet been resurrected Jurassic Park-style, scientists fiddling with ancient DNA sequences have made a discovery that may turn out to be a tad more useful: a treatment for gout. That a 90 million-year-old protein could treat a modern disease is a fascinating window into evolutionary history.
If you’ve heard of gout, you may know it as a “king of diseases.” Those who have suffered through the disease’s swollen and painful joints include Charlemagne, Henry VIII, and Benjamin Franklin-in short, the wealthy who could afford to eat and drink too much. Overindulgence can lead to the disease, but that’s not the only biological cause for gout.
Read the full, original story: Resurrecting Dinosaur-Age Proteins To Cure Human Disease
