Genome Reference Consortium News Today

Last week marked a major milestone in studying the human genome. Since the early 2000s, the Human Genome Project has published successive versions of their map, or "sequence," of the...

Parts of the human genome are now available to study for the first time.

One of the interesting things I learned today was that many people are calling for the genome sequences of the chimps and Macaques to be finished. This is especially amusing because the human genome isn't quite done. We're primates, too! Why not finish our genome? [I blame these new-found revelations on Twitter. Despite my youngest daughter's warning that only old people use Twitter, I've joined my SciBlings and taken the plunge. (you can even follow me! @digitalbio).

DNA Databases Are Too White Tina Hesman Saey, Science News, March 4, 2021 It’s been two decades since the Human Genome Project first unveiled a rough draft of our genetic instruction book. The promise of that medical moon shot was that doctors would soon be able to look at an individual’s DNA and prescribe the right medicines for that person’s illness or even prevent certain diseases. That promise, known as precision medicine, has yet to be fulfilled in any widespread way. True, researche...

March 4, 2021 at 6:30 am It’s been about 20 years since scientists unveiled a rough draft of the human genome. This is all of the DNA found in a human cell. Think of it like a genetic instruction book for the body. Creating that rough draft was like a medical moonshot. It held out the promise that doctors might soon be able look at someone’s DNA and prescribe the right medicines for their illness. They might even prevent certain diseases. That promise is known as precision medicine. But it ...

A lack of diversity in genetic databases is making precision medicine ineffective for many people. One historian proposes a solution: construct reference genomes for individual populations.