Heart disease is the major killer of people worldwide. Up to 60 percent of people of European descent suffer from the risk of heart disease, mostly leading to their deaths. But, what increases the risk of heart disease? Scientists have been pondering on it for decades; only until recently, two rival teams of scientists have discovered a genetic variation leading to rise in risk. To come up with this finding, scientists had to construct the Hap Map — a common genetic variations on the human genome survey in Africans, Asians and Europeans. The common variations — called SNP’s or snips — are the common diseases’ genetic basis. Published online by the journal Science, the new finding is said to one of a spate of discoveries about the genetic basis of common diseases. It is last week; scientists identified seven new genetic variants that are involved in the most common diabetes form. Inn the next few days to come, a batch of new genes linked to other common diseases may be reported. This discovery generates hope that it would lead to a test for the variant, enabling physicians to assess patients at its risk more accurately, helping in recommending early intervention. Photo: cdc.gov