In a pathbreaking research on anencephaly, a fatal birth defect where a baby is born without a major part of the brain and the skull, researchers from IISc and BMCRI have identified a genetic mutation that is responsible behind this condition. Technically called Tripartite Motif Containing 36 (TRIM36), this gene is responsible for the development of the nerve cells in a foetus. A modification to this, the scientists say, is to be blamed for anencephaly.