Microsoft fixes Excel function that changed names of genes to data

Microsoft has changed the way Excel’s auto-conversion feature works so that it doesn’t automatically convert gene names to dates. The names of the genes had already been changed, because Excel continued to see them as data.

The fix was made available last week, reports a Microsoft engineer who works on Excel. The fix ensures that there are options for the different types of data conversion in Excel, allowing users who encounter problems to disable specific types of conversion.

The fix comes years after scientists indicated that something went wrong when entering genes in Excel. About 3.5 years ago, scientists at the Human Gene Nomenclature Committee changed the names of some genes to avoid confusion with data in Excel. This included Membrane Associated Ring-CH-Type Finger 1, which until recently MARCH1 was called. Excel automatically converted that to ‘March 1’, so scientists who use that program have to undo that every time. There is no way to prevent Excel from doing that. MARCH1 is now called MARCHF1 and SEPT1 has since been called SEPTIN1

Microsoft Excel: control over data conversion