DailyDirt: Looking At The Human Genome

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

Tue, Nov 6th 2012 5:00pm — Michael Ho

The human genome contains an incredible amount of information that we are only starting to parse. Sequencing large amounts of DNA is getting cheaper and faster, so it's only a matter of time before we'll be able to collect a vast amount of genetic information and connect it with practical medical diagnoses and treatments. Here are just a few projects working on decoding our genetic blueprints.

The international ENCODE project has been looking at the human genome to try to figure out what all the nucleotides do. Less than 2% of the genome is used for making proteins, and we're just beginning to discover that about 80% of the genome is biologically active and isn't just "junk" DNA. [url]
The Genographic Project is asking the general public to participate in a genome analysis experiment to gather a broad sampling of DNA data. The results will be anonymous (but they'll have your DNA...?) and dedicated to the public domain. [url]
The 1000 Genomes Project currently claims to have the world's largest, most detailed catalog of human genetic variation. The database includes sequenced genomes from over 1,092 people and should help medical researchers develop tests for genetic diseases. [url]

If you'd like to read more awesome and interesting stuff, check out this unrelated (but not entirely random!) Techdirt post.

Filed Under: biology, biotechnology, dna, genome, human, medicine, science

6 Comments

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Anonymous Coward, 6 Nov 2012 @ 5:21pm

Speaking of DNA
Is it weird that I wanna breed with a goat to see what happens?
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- Pixelation, 6 Nov 2012 @ 7:57pm
  
  Re: Speaking of DNA
  Isn't that how Goatse was created?
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Anonymous Coward, 6 Nov 2012 @ 6:06pm

GATTACA or Blade Runner cometh!
Seriously, someday we'll actually have the technology to produce a clone army... and bias society against the genetically inferior with actual science.
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- Anonymous Coward, 7 Nov 2012 @ 4:44am
  
  Re: GATTACA or Blade Runner cometh!
  What could possibly go wrong?
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Chris Brand (profile), 7 Nov 2012 @ 11:06am

"over 1,092 people"
I'm guessing 1093, but why you'd say "over 1092" rather than "1093" or "over 1000", I have no idea.
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- Michael Ho (profile), 7 Nov 2012 @ 12:00pm
  
  Re: "over 1,092 people"
  from the article:
  "So far, project researchers have sequenced the genomes of 1,092 people from 14 populations in Europe, East Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and the Americas. Ultimately, they will study more than 2,500 individuals from 26 populations."
  
  So somewhere between 1,092 and 2,500... perhaps I should have said "up to 2,500"....
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