Piller and Smith in Science:
Since 2023, an international research team known for finding rare genetic variants that shield against Alzheimer’s disease has dropped hints about its biggest prize yet. The scientists named it Macondo, in homage to the fictional Colombian town in One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel García Márquez, the master of magical realism who died with Alzheimer’s in 2014. Identified in the novelist’s sister, the mutation seemed to protect her into her 90s against the disease that claimed her famous brother and other family members. Its benefits were also said to be evident in a large kindred of Colombians who carry a genetic mutation causing them to develop dementia before age 50.
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