The great white shark is notable for its size, with mature female individuals growing up to 6.1 m (20 ft) in length and 1,950 kg (4,300 lb) in weight. However most are smaller, males measuring 3.35 to 3.96 m (11 ft 0 in to 13 ft 0 in) and females 4.57 to 4.88 m (15 ft 0 in to 16 ft 0 in) on average.
For most ALS genes, only one mutated copy is needed to cause disease. This is called a âdominantâ gene. For other genes, both copies must be mutated to cause disease. This is called a ârecessiveâ gene. During formation of eggs and sperm, gene pairs split up, so that an egg (or sperm) contains only one gene copy.
The other 90 to 95 percent of ALS is sporadic, meaning it occurs without a family history (in other words, sporadically). There appear to be genetic variations that influence one's susceptibility to sporadic ALS, even if they don't actually cause the disease by themselves.