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The Human Genome Project

 


In 1990, a publicly funded project called The Human Genome Project aimed to determine the exact sequencing of the human DNA, base-pair by base-pair. 20 international research centers collaborated on finding out the exact sequence of the human genome which lasted up to 13 years since.

Inside every cell of your body there is DNA measuring 3.2 Billion base pairs long. It is divided into smaller portions using enzymes, making it more manageable to sequence. These reduced genes are injected into artificial bacteria and then divide, revealing finger prints in labs which let scientists know which genes are overlapped, allowing them to attach each gene together.

Each portion is further divided into smaller portions, measuring at approximately 1000 base pairs long; they are shipped to the 20 different labs all around the world, using the aforementioned method, and are further checked to maximise the accuracy of the gene sequence. Each piece of genome is determined using a computerised method called the Sanger method.

Decoding the Human Genome helps us to better understand the Biochemistry of the human body with unprecedented accuracy. With this, we can understand the biological mapping of complex disorders resulting from different factors such as genetic and environmental disturbances, such as diabetes; heart disease; cancer; and psychiatric illnesses, including alcoholism.


https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9779654/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6875757/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhsIF-cmoQQ



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