The completion of rough draft sequence of the human genes is a major scientific milestone and was achieved on 26.06.2000. The project began more
The completion of rough draft sequence of the human genes is a major scientific milestone and was achieved on 26.06.2000. The project began more than 10 years ago to map out almost 35 billion chemical letters that make up the recipe of human life. This breakthrough is expected to revolutionize the practice of medicine by paving the way for new drugs and medical therapies. Specific sequences of DNA characters form the genes and this makes us what we are and determines our susceptibility to illnesses like cancer or diabetes. Mapping involves three separate steps: sequencing, assembling and annotating the genes. In the sequencing phase, researchers identified the approximate 3.5 billion chemical letters (A, C, G, T) that make up human DNA,the building block of the genes. In the assembling phase, they put those letters in the correct order, allowing them to "read" each gene. "Mapping the human genome has been compared with putting a man on the moon, but I believe it is more than that," said Dr. Michael Dexter, the director of the Wellcome Trust, which funded the British part of the Human Genome Project. "This is the outstanding achievement not only of our lifetime but perhaps in the history of mankind," Dexter told a London news conference. If the project proves anything, Clinton said, it is that "the most important fact of life on this Earth is our common humanity." All the researchers involved praised the high level of international cooperation that enabled them to reach this stage, and they pledged to keep that momentum going. Vote on “MCS Poll” if u think this human scientific triumph is likely to be abused by the society.
