The human genome was sequenced in 2001. I still remember how skeptical many of my professors were at the beginning of the project. Whose genome are they going to sequence, was an oft-asked question. And then there were others who were enthusiastic about the venture. They felt that it would answer a whole lot of questions about our genome. In particular, they were sure we will know for sure what makes us so different from other animals.
Well, the 2001 paper raised a whole lot of questions rather than answering them. In particular, it was disappointing to know that the number of protein coding genes was about the same as that present in mice. And that whole lot of our genome (in fact 98%) did not code for proteins. In fact, a majority appeared to not to code for anything. It was called as junk DNA.
The picture has changed a lot in the past 16 years. We now know that most of our genome codes for something. The trick is to understand what these do.
Over the years, genome sequencing has become popular. It can, after all, tell you whether you are at risk for a disease. But what else can it tell you?
This is the question Carl Zimmer is trying to find out. He got his entire genome sequence and then got the raw data from the company that did the sequencing. Now he is getting it analyzed to understand the information stored in his genome. The Game of the Genomes is an interesting read.
Well, the 2001 paper raised a whole lot of questions rather than answering them. In particular, it was disappointing to know that the number of protein coding genes was about the same as that present in mice. And that whole lot of our genome (in fact 98%) did not code for proteins. In fact, a majority appeared to not to code for anything. It was called as junk DNA.
The picture has changed a lot in the past 16 years. We now know that most of our genome codes for something. The trick is to understand what these do.
Over the years, genome sequencing has become popular. It can, after all, tell you whether you are at risk for a disease. But what else can it tell you?
This is the question Carl Zimmer is trying to find out. He got his entire genome sequence and then got the raw data from the company that did the sequencing. Now he is getting it analyzed to understand the information stored in his genome. The Game of the Genomes is an interesting read.
Gripping stuff by Carl Zimmer. Well researched and equally well written. Read through all thirteen episodes in a single sitting, although I am blissfully ignorant about modern genetics. In spite of his lack of formal training in science (or perhaps because of it), Carl Zimmer is one of the best science writers today. He has an uncomplicated yet racy style of writing.
ReplyDeleteI always thought that my SNP's are uniquely mine, making me the only human of my kind in the whole wide world. That illusion has been shattered this day.
Cheers ... SKS