April 14 - The Human Genome Project is Completed

This Day in History: 14 April 2020

 

14 April 2003

 

17 years ago, today, The Human Genome Project was completed, with 99% of the human genome sequenced to an accuracy of 99.99%. The HGP was an inward voyage of discovery, carried out by an international team of researchers, aiming to sequence and map all of the genes, together known as the genome, of our species. This all began on 1 October 1990, and was completed on this day, thus giving us the ability to read nature's complex genetic blueprints that make up human beings. The researchers deciphered the gene in three key ways: determining the order of all the bases in the genome's DNA; making maps that show the locations of genes for key sections of our chromosomes; and creating linkage maps, through which inherited traits can be tracked over generations.

 

On this day, an accurate and complete human genome sequence was finished, which was made available to scientists and researchers two years ahead of the original schedule, and at a cost less than the original estimated budget. In addition to the finished sequence, to help researchers better understand the meaning of human genetics, the project took on more goals, such as developing new technologies to study whole genomes. The Human Genome Project helped to reveal that there are most likely around 20,500 human genes, and the ultimate product of the project has given the world a more detailed understanding of the human genes.

 

Want to find out more about the history of the Human Genome Project? Click here for more information.