Frogs and snails and invertebrate tales

摘要

Before recombinant DNA technology, animals were the only viable source of many hormones. Insulin and growth hormone were obtained from pigs and cows and conjugated oestrogens were collected from the urine of pregnant mares (hence the name Premarin). More recently, however, attention has turned to what venomous creatures might offer, with several new drugs being developed. Christopher Shaw takes a look. The publication of the first draft of the human genome in 2001 was generally agreed by scientists from many disciplines as a milestone in human endeavour of a magnitude worthy of marking the threshold of a new millennium.