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The gene-based hack that is revolutionizing epidemiology

Mendelian randomization offers a simple way to distinguish causation from correlation. But are scientists overusing it?
  1. David Adam

    1. David Adam is a freelance journalist based near London.

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In 1812, the British ophthalmologist James Ware relayed a curious finding to the members of the Royal Society in London. Of thousands of young men recruited to regiments of the British army, only six had been turned away for poor vision in 20 years. But up to one-quarter of students about the same age going to the University of Oxford, UK, relied on a hand glass or spectacles1.

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Nature 576, 196-199 (2019)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-019-03754-3

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