Study says autism linked to genetic variations

Autism has been in the media quite a bit in recent years, as the number of confirmed cases seems to have shot up. Now, either cases are really increasing, autism diagnoses are becoming better or more accurate reporting is taking place -- or all three.

It's hard to know if autism is really increasing as a percentage of the population, and everything from food chemical additives to vaccinations have been brought up as possible autism causes. Thimiserol, a mercury-based component in some vaccines, is now gone form them due to a possible link to causing autism.

So, it comes as a little bit of a jolt that scientists are now saying autism occurs due to genetic variations like mutations that are present and then kicked into gear by different environmental variables. Well, I have a feeling many ailments like cancer and diabetes are like this as well, because the powerful witch's brew of genetics and variable lifestyle choices can mix to create, well, you name it. But autism? It's suspected that autism actually lurks in the human genome and can be passed from parents to offspring. But what triggers it in some and not in others? That is still a mystery.