THE HUMAN GENOME PROJECT BEGAN IN 1990. THE MISSION WAS SIMPLE IN THEORY BUT HARDER IN ACTUALITY. THE GOALS SET WERE:
* identify all the approximately 20,000-25,000 genes in human DNA,
* determine the sequences of the 3 billion chemical base pairs that make up human DNA,
* store this information in databases,
* improve tools for data analysis,
* transfer related technologies to the private sector, and
* address the ethical, legal, and social issues (ELSI) that may arise from the project.
THIS PROJECT WAS OFFICIALLY COMPLETED IN 2003 MAKING IT A 13 YEAR SPAN OF WORK (FOR THOSE WHO SUCK AT MATHEMATICS). THE RESULT FROM THE PROJECT SHOWED THAT HUMANS HAVE ABOUT 22,333 GENES WHICH ACTUALLY CODE FOR PROTEINS. THIS WAS A LOT LESS THAN PREVIOUSLY PROJECTED. IN FACT, MANY SCIENTISTS FELT HUMANS WERE SO COMPLEX THAT WE SHOULD HAVE AROUND 100,000 GENES.
THE 22,333 GENES FOUND IN HUMANS IS EVEN LESS THAN THAT FOUND IN A GRAPE. A GRAPE HAS 30,434 FULLY FUNCTIONAL GENES.
WITH MORE GENES STILL UNACCOUNTED FOR..MANY SCIENTISTS ARE STILL TRYING TO FIND NEW GENES TO ADD THE THE LIBRARY OF THE GENOME PROJECT.
I WONDER HOW MANT FULLY FUNTIONAL GENES WE AS HUMANS TRULY HAVE?
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