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The Next Human Genome Challenge

Scientists sequenced the human genome back in 2003 but how this code produces the rich tapestry of human life is still a profound mystery.

X-Chromosome contains a DNA helix. Low-poly design of interconnected lines and dots. Blue background.
(Credit:Ilya Lukichev/Shutterstock)

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One of the great achievements of modern science was the human genome project to map the sequence of genes in human DNA. The project produced unprecedented insight into the function of genes, their role in human health and the nature of life itself.

And yet the human genome project was just the beginning. Armed with the sequence of genes in DNA, life scientists now want to know how the extraordinarily rich complexity of life emerges from this code.

Closely linked and just as puzzling is how small changes in the genome can lead to the rich tapestry of human life with its infinite variety of faces, ethnicities and susceptibility to certain diseases.

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