Microsoft Word Kurzweil, Ray The Singularity Is Near doc

Developmental Biology
, 6th ed. [Sunderland, Mass.: Sinauer Associates, 2000]; available 
online at www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/bv.fcgi?call=bv.View..ShowSection&rid=.0BpKYEB-
SPfx18nm8QOxH). 
By binding to enhancer or promoter regions, transcription factors start or repress the 
expression of a gene. New knowledge of transcription factors has transformed our understanding of 
gene expression. Per Gilbert in the chapter "The Genetic Core of Development: Differential Gene 
Expression": "The gene itself is no longer seen as an independent entity controlling the synthesis of 
proteins. Rather, the gene both directs and is directed by protein synthesis. Natalie Anger (1992) 
has written, 'A series of discoveries suggests that DNA is more like a certain type of politician, 
surrounded by a flock of protein handlers and advisors that must vigorously massage it, twist it and, 
on occasion, reinvent it before the grand blueprint of the body can make any sense at all.' " 
22.
Bob Holmes, "Gene Therapy May Switch Off Huntington's," March 13, 2003, 
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99993493. "Emerging as a powerful tool for 
reverse genetic analysis, RNAi is rapidly being applied to study the function of many genes 
associated with human disease, in particular those associated with oncogenesis and infectious 
disease." J. C. Cheng, T. B. Moore, and K. M. Sakamoto, "RNA Interference and Human Disease," 
Molecular Genetics and Metabolism
80.1–2 (October 2003): 121–28. RNAi is a "potent and highly 
sequence-specific mechanism," 1. Zhang, D. K. Fogg, and D. M. Waisman, "RNA Interference-
Mediated Silencing of the S100A10 Gene Attenuates Plasmin Generation and Invasiveness of Colo 
222 Colorecta Cancer Cells," 
Journal of Biological Chemistry
279.3 (January 16,2004): 2053–62. 
23.
Each chip contains synthetic oligonucleotides that replicate sequences that identify specific genes. 
"To determine which genes have been expressed in a sample, researchers isolate messenger RNA 
from test samples, convert it to complementary DNA (cDNA), tag it with fluorescent dye, and run 
the sample over the wafer. Each tagged cDNA will stick to an oligo with a matching sequence, 
lighting up a spot on the wafer where the sequence is known. An automated scanner then 
determines which oligos have bound, and hence which genes were expressed...." E. Marshall, "Do-
It-Yourself Gene Watching," 
Science
286.5439 (October 15, 1999): 444–47. 
24.
Ibid. 
25.
J. Rosamond and A. Allsop, "Harnessing the Power of the Genome in the Search for New 
Antibiotics," 
Science
287.5460 (March 17,2000): 1973–76. 
26.
T. R. Golub et al., "Molecular Classification of Cancer: Class Discovery and Class Prediction by 
Gene Expression Monitoring," 
Science
286.5439 (October 15, 1999): 531–37. 

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27.
Ibid., as reported in A. Berns, "Cancer: Gene Expression in Diagnosis," 
Nature
403 (February 3, 
2000): 491–92. In another study, 1 percent of the genes studied showed reduced expression in aged 
muscles. These genes produced proteins associated with energy production and cell building, so a 
reduction makes sense given the weakening associated with age. Genes with increased expression 
produced stress proteins, which are used to repair damaged DNA or proteins. J. Marx, "Chipping 
Away at the Causes of Aging," 
Science
287.5462 (March 31, 2000): 2390. 
As another example, liver metastases are a common cause of colorectal cancer. These 
metastases respond differently to treatment depending on their genetic profile. Expression profiling 
is an excellent way to determine an appropriate mode of treatment. J. C. Sung et al. "Genetic 
Heterogeneity of Colorectal Cancer Liver Metastases,"