Why Scientists Renamed 27 Human Genes Because of Excel (And What It Means) Scientists renamed 27 human genes in 2020 because Microsoft Excel was automatically converting their symbols into dates, corrupting data in supplementary files and published analyses. The HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC) changed symbols that looked like dates, such as SEPT1 and MARCH1, to forms that Excel would not auto-format, for example SEPTIN1 and MARCHF1. The goal was to stop recurrent, hard-to-detect errors caused when spreadsheets opened or imported gene lists.

When your spreadsheet turns genes into dates: researchers literally renamed 27 human genes to stop Excel from corrupting data. Wild intersection of biology and software—should tools adapt, or names change? #Bioinformatics #DataIntegrity #Excel #Genomics #HGNC

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From the @hgnc.bsky.social team in @narjournal.bsky.social #NARDatabaseIssue | Genenames.org : the #HGNC and #PGNC resources in 2026 | #Bioinformatics #Database #OpenScience #Genomics #Proteomics #OpenData 🧬 🖥️🧪🔓
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