Embedded deeply in our body is the complex biological story. The Human Genome Project is the exploration of this intricate yet crucial storyline. The Genome is a complete set of genes that make up an organism. Genes are made up of DNA (deoxynucleic acid) which subsequently is made up of long paired strands. These paired strands attach in a specific manner, for example, Adenine (A) attaches itself to Thymine (T) and Cytosine(C) to Guanine (G). The genome is the perplexing key in instructing cells to do their duty. Cells interact together to create tissues. Tissues connect together to create organs. Organs function together to produce an organism.
The first fully completed human genome was completed and publish on April 2003. This took nearly took decades to complete, required the crucial and alert attention of hundreds of scientists across dozens of countries. The entire Human Genome Project (HGP) cost over three billion dollars. HGP researchers unscramble this genome in three different ways.
According to National Human Genome Research Institute (n.d. para 5) is by determining the order, or "sequence," of all the bases in our genome's DNA; making maps that show the locations of genes for major sections of all our chromosomes; and producing what are called linkage maps, complex versions of the type originated in early Drosophila research, through which inherited traits (such as those for genetic disease) can be tracked over generations.Knowing the sequence that make up your genome is the main goal of genome sequencing. The individual letters of DNA are only eight or ten atoms wide which in turn are all packed together in a clump. In order to decipher this sequence, scientists need to first attempt to separate the long strands of D...
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...ally playing “God” with the the course of nature, manipulating our genome in order to prevent catastrophes. Due to this, ethical,legal and social issues must be addressed and revised to fit the regulations that can simultaneously work with every individual specific requirement.
Resources
Crowston, Sara L.(1999). The Human Genome Project. http://www.ndsu.edu/pubweb/~mcclean/plsc431/students99/crowston.htm
Genetic Discrimination Fact Sheet. (n.d.). Genetic Discrimination Fact Sheet. Retrieved May 20, 2014, from http://www.genome.gov/10002328#al-4
Genetic Information Discrimination. (n.d.). Genetic Discrimination. Retrieved May 20, 2014, from http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/types/genetic.cfm
Rayl, A.J.S., et al. "Genetics in the New Millennium." MINNESOTA MONTHLY. Aug., 1999:112- 124
Associated Press. "Unregulated gene testing can be faulty." Star Tribune. 21 Sept., 1999.
The debate over the importance of a Human Genome Project can be cleared up by looking at what the human genome actually is, and why knowing its DNA sequence can be beneficial to the scientific and the human community. The human genome is made up of about three billion base pairs, which contain about 100,000 genes. The 100,000 genes in the 46 human chromosomes only account for a small total of the DNA in our genome. Approximately 10 percent of our DNA make up these genes in our genome, these genes are what is actually encoded for and used by our body to make vital proteins needed for everyday life. The remaining 90 percent of our three billion base pairs are repeated sequences between genes that do not encode for any particular product. These repeated sequences account for the reason why 99 percent of any humans DNA is identical to another human's (1). With this knowledge many people believe it is not worth the time or money to sequence the entire human genome when only a small percent is used to encode for proteins. However, by sequencing the whole genome researchers will no longer have to do a needle in the haystack type of search for small genes, like the one found on chromosome four that is responsible for Huntington's disease (4). Also, knowing the complete human DNA sequence will allow scientists to determine the role and importance of the repeated DNA, non-protein encoding, sequences in our body.
Watson, James D. "The Human Genome Project: A Personal View." Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum. 7th ed. Ed.
In 1990, the first great stride of genetics took place. This was called the Human Genome Project, a large-scale operation that was designed to understand the human genome (genetic structure). Since its commencement, there have been many leaps and bounds that have taken place. For certain genetic issues that we once knew nothing about, we no...
A genome is all of the DNA in a given organism. The DNA is split up into smaller groups of nucleotides called genes. Every gene contains the information for the production of a different protein. The human genome was once thought to have over 100,000 genes but it was recently found to have around 30,000 genes. The proteins produced by the genes determine different characteristics of the organism such as hair color, the ability to fight infection, some aspects of behavior, all enzymes, hormones, and almost all other characteristics of the organism. Genes are passed down from generation to generation.
Genomic sequencing is the process of determining the precise order of nucleotides within a DNA molecule. It includes any method or technology that is used to determine the order of the four DNA bases – thiamine, adenine, guanine, and cytosine– in the strand of DNA (NHGRI, 2011). In each organism, these bases are arranged in a unique and specific sequence, and it is this sequence that is the genetic code of the organism. Genomic sequencing has had an impact on nearly every field of biological research including human genetics and genomics, plants and agriculture, microbes, medicine, viruses and infectious diseases, environmental genetics and evolutionary biology. By first examining the development of gene sequencing technology we will be able to view its role in evolutionary biology, its contribution to phylogenetics, and how it has changed our understanding of the biological tree of life.
The purpose of the human genome project was to select the best pairs of the genes and the desirable characteristics in the human beings to maintain the production of the organisms according to the desirable gene sequencing. This project was initiated to control the sequencing of the gene artificially [1]. The world’s largest biological plan was the human genome project as it was started on the large scale. The idea of this project was given by the researchers in 1984. The practical work started in 1990 to execute the project. The official declaration of the project carried out in 2003. The financial assistance was awarded to the program setup through the healthcare workplaces, where their engagement was significant. Another program
So what is a human genome and why is the government researching it? The Human genome is the sequence of roughly 20,000 genes that make up human Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), or the building blocks that tell cells what to do. The government project named Human Genome Project (HGP) started in 1990’s, and is trying to unravel the 3 billion chemical base pairs in a DNA strand (http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/physician-resources/medical-science/genetics-molecular-medicine/current-topics/human-genome.shtml.)
Lyons, R.H. (2004). How do we Sequence DNA? In A Primer in DNA Structure and Function. Retrieved from http://seqcore.brcf.med.umich.edu/doc/educ/dnapr/sequencing.html
For numerous years, the world’s most prestigious geneticists have been trying to crack the human genetic code, the intricate puzzle that defines each and every one of us as individuals. With the monumental success of the Human Genome Project, a new and exciting biological frontier is ready for exploration. The ramifications of the knowledge derived from this endeavor will no doubt be staggering for residents of the Rio Grande Valley and the world at large.
“The Human Genome Project is an international scientific research project with the goal of determining the sequence of chemical base pairs which make up human DNA, and of identifying and mapping all of the genes of the human genome from both a physical and a functional standpoint “ as defined by Wikipedia’s dictionary. In layman’s terms it is a project that scientist have been working on for several years to try to rebuild human DNA strands, to later build a human being. The reason this is flawed is because it will be impossible.
Every human being has genome that is composed of anywhere from 20,000 to 25,000 different
Marshall, Elizabeth L. The Human Genome Project: Cracking the Code within Us. New York: F. Watts, 1996. Print.
The Human Genome Project , or HGP, was created to help develop new and better tools for making gene hunts faster, cheaper, and practical for almost any scientist. The tools created by this project included genetic maps, physical maps, and DNA sequence maps. The greatest achievement of the HGP was their success in sequencing the entire length of human DNA, referred to as the human genome. With the sequencing of the human genome complete, HGP was able to go on to sequence the genes of several key organisms, like mice, mosquitos, and plants like mustard weed and rice.(Figure 1) The simplicity of the genetic structure of these organisms makes them perfect for future technology development. (DNA Sequencing)
Human genome project is the biggest example of DNA sequencing. When the human genome was sequenced back in 2001, many issue rose but now after many year, we can see its impacts on medical and pharmaceutical research. Scientists are now able to identify the genes which are responsible for causing genetic diseases like Alzheimer's disease, Cystic fibrosis, myotonic dystrophy and many other diseases caused by the disability of genes to function properly. Many types of acquired diseases like cancers can also be detected by observing certain genes.