Question:
I was watching a documentary on DNA for my science class, and in this
video the Human Genome Project was mentioned. I would appreciate it
if any information on this could be sent to me.
Thank you.
Replies:
The Human Genome Project is the biggest biology project ever
undertaken. Begun by the Department of Energy as they were looking
at the effects of radiation on human genes, the project is now a
joint venture with the National Institutes of Health and countless other
labs around the world (the International effort is called HuGo, for
Human Genome Organization) to try to map and sequence all of the genes
in the human genome. The genome is all of the DNA in an organism.
This is a huge undertaking, since there are thought to be at least
100,000 human genes on the 46 chromosomes in each of our cells. There
are also tremendous benefits to be gained by doing this - many diseases
may become manageable and many people may benefit. There are also many
questions to be answered, including who should have access to the
information about any one person's genes and what should be done with
that information. It's a fascinating area for discussion.
I hope that you'll have the chance to investigate it further - there
are lots of resources. Check your library for more!
NEWTON is an electronic community for Science, Math, and Computer Science K-12 Educators, sponsored and operated by Argonne National Laboratory's Educational Programs, Andrew Skipor, Ph.D., Head of Educational Programs.
