Earwax in people has no history of its effective or use for humans. But, the curious researchers seem to be busy researching with it finding he reasons behind the type a person has. Earwax comes in two types — wet and dry. The wet form predominates in Africa and Europe with 97 percent or more of people having it. And the dry form is found among East Asians. Japanese researchers were able to identify the gene that controls which type a person has by comparing the DNA of Japanese with each type, they report in today’s issue of Nature Genetics. Japanese scientists studied the gene in 33 ethnic groups around the world.
The switch of a single DNA unit in the gene determines whether a person has wet or dry earwax! According to the scientists, the gene’s role seems to be to export substances out of the cells that secrete earwax. As the finding explains, single DNA change deactivates the gene and, without its contribution, a person has dry earwax. The wet form is very common in Africa and in Europe. Since modern humans left Africa 50,000 years ago, it is determined that the wet form was likely to have been the ancestral form before.
Via: New York Times