Scientists rename human genes because of Excel

Scientists rename human genes because of Excel

Yet, it is not uncommon to see Microsoft Excel being used as a database, however limited. Since it is quite easy to use, at least in basic functions, there are many people who use it to store your friends' phone numbers, or your customers' addresses and much more.

Among these people there are also scientists from the Human Genome Organization (Hugo), who use Excel to pin down data on the genes that make up the human genome.

Scientists have had to rename human genes because Microsoft Excel

Each gene has an alphanumeric code that identifies it, and that code is written in the first column of the line dedicated to that gene in the Excel spreadsheet.

So far it seems like things can work out. Trouble arises when genes bear names such as Membrane Associated Ring-Ch-Type Finger 1, which unfortunately shortens in March1. So Excel thinks it’s a date, and converts it to 1-Mar.

At this point the problem should be obvious. It is true that Excel allows you to apply a custom formatting in order to avoid conversion to date, but scientists - of course - do not all work on a single sheet.

They extract the information in Csv files, import it into new spreadsheets, or make copies or create from scratch Excel files to which they forget to apply formatting. The result is a great confusion, it is the serious possibility of nullifying research.

This possibility is very real. A 2016 study showed that about one fifth of 3,597 genetic studies contained errors due to Excel.

It is understandable that such a situation cannot continue. Thus, the Hugo Gene Nomenclature Committee made a final decision: with the adoption of new guidelines, the way genes are named has been officially changed.

So March1 becomes Marchf1, Sept1 becomes Septin1 and so on for all the genes that cause problems (27 have already changed their name): Excel no longer thinks that they are given, and everyone is happy.

Only one doubt remains: could it not be Microsoft to activate, changing the operation of Excel?

The Redmond company did not comment on the issue, but according to Elspeth Bruford, Committee coordinator, the game would not be worth the candle.

«This is a very limited use of Excel», he explained. «Microsoft has very little reason to make a major change to a feature that is used extensively by the rest of the Excel user community».

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