Scientists sequence the complete human genome for the first time
CNN
In 2003, the Human Genome Project made history when it sequenced 92% of the human genome. But for nearly two decades since, scientists have struggled to decipher the remaining 8%. Now, a team has unveiled the complete human genome.
"Having this complete information will allow us to better understand how we form as an individual organism and how we vary not just between other humans but other species," Evan Eichler, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator at the University of Washington and the research leader, said Thursday.
The new research introduces 400 million letters to the previously sequenced DNA -- an entire chromosome's worth. The full genome will allow scientists to analyze how DNA differs between people and whether these genetic variations play a role in disease.