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A Gene for Fish Order episode artwork

Jan 24, 2013 8 min

A Gene for Fish Order

from NOVA | PBS Hosted by WGBH Science Unit

British scientists have developed a genetic test for a disorder that causes people to emit an unusual body odor: The gene causes sufferers to smell like rotten fish. For those who have been ostracized—shunned by friends and unable to hold jobs because they are perceived as unhygienic—the test offers some solace. But one patient says the genetic discovery has not changed his life as much as he had hoped for. This podcast was produced by Sam Eaton for NOVA and PRI's "The World." For more global environmental stories, visit: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/earth/ http://www.theworld.org/category/topics/environment/ Visit our friends at PRI's "The World" for a behind-the-scenes interview with reporter Ari Daniel Shapiro, and to find other stories about personal genetic testing. For more information on trimethylaminuria, visit tmau.org.uk. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. Funding for NOVA is provided by David H. Koch, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and PBS viewers.

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A Gene for Fish Order

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