FROM THE ARCHIVE

Human genome analyzed and mapped

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FEBRUARY 12, 2001

A consortium of public and private companies today will announce they have analyzed and mapped almost the entire human genome, the blueprint of human life.

Suprising themselves and others, the group reached the milestone ahead of schedule. Last summer, the group announced it had decoded much of the genome but they still had to identify the more than 50,000 genes that make up human DNA.

Scientists have now discovered the genetic code of humans is much smaller than they expected. Benefits of fully decoding the structure are said to be improved disease diagnosis and treatment. Privacy and discrimination issues are raised by critics of the project.

Get the Story:
The Gene Map and Celera's Detour (The Washington Post 2/12)
Gene Map May Create Discrimination (AP 2/12)
Life's Blueprint in Less Than an Inch (The Washington Post 2/11)
Gene Map Creates New Frontier (The Washington Post 2/11)

Relevant Links:
The Human Genome Project at the Department of Energy: www.ornl.gov/hgmis
The National Human Genome Research Institute at the National Institute of Health: www.nhgri.nih.gov
Ethical, Legal, and Social Issues (ELSI) of the Human Genome Project: www.ornl.gov/hgmis/resource/elsi.html
Declaration of Indigenous Peoples of the Western Hemisphere Regarding the Human Genome Diversity Project: www.indians.org/welker/genome.htm

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Scientists decode human genome (Tech 06/27)