The promise of the African genome project
A Cameroonian professor hopes to illuminate human genetic diversity
WHEN THE Mutambaras’ first son was a about 18 months old they began to worry about his hearing. The toddler did not respond when asked to “come to Mama”. He was soon diagnosed as deaf, though no doctor could tell the Zimbabwean couple the cause. Several years later their second son was also born deaf.
This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “The African genome project”
From the June 26th 2021 edition
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