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Last week, Ó³»­´«Ã½ researchers and others in the GIANT (Genetic Investigation of Anthropometric Traits) Consortium published work revealing , the most yet identified for a single trait or disease. It may come as no surprise that stature is leading the pack when it comes to traits yielding their genetic secrets. Height is one of the easiest traits to measure, and studies on other traits and diseases often record subjects’ height, providing ample data for scientists.

When I called Jeremy Duvall and Damian Young, two of the Ó³»­´«Ã½'s organic chemists, to talk about the winners, I was checking in with them to discuss the relevance of the work recognized. What was surprising to me was that the work from the winners represents not just some piece of obscure chemical synthesis minutia. This was chemistry that we use on a daily basis here at the Ó³»­´«Ã½.

Researchers at the Ó³»­´«Ã½ are looking for clues about how fat cells develop. Last week, we posted a news story about research published in the journal that shows how scientists are using epigenomic maps to find factors that control fat cell development.

Kiran Musunuru, a clinical and research fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital and research affiliate at the Ó³»­´«Ã½, has received the Ó³»­´«Ã½â€™s Lawrence H. Summers Fellowship for research for 2010-2011.

The year-long fellowship, named after former Harvard president Lawrence Summers, gives scientists an opportunity to advance their research at the Ó³»­´«Ã½. Kiran intends to deepen his research into the causes of heart attacks, as well as the role that genetics plays in regulating levels of cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood.