A gene on Chromosome 10, CYP17, is responsible for the synthesis of an enzyme that enables the body to convert cholesterol into cortisol, testosterone and oestradiol. The first of these steroids, cortisol, is released when the brain signals stress and sets off a long chain of genetic triggers, switching genes on and off and thereby causing other genes to be switched on or off, including suppressing the immune system. Ridley also asserts that the world, not just the human body, is full of intricate interconnected systems with no control center, like the economy. Heart disease has shown to be linked very highly to the amount of daily cortisol in the bloodstream, which correlates to daily stress level and a feeling of control.
Citation:
Ridley, Matt. Genome: The Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters. New York: HarperCollins, 1999. Print.
Ridley, Matt. Genome: The Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters. New York: HarperCollins, 1999. Print.
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