Human Genome Project Essay -- Genetics Science Biology Essays

Human Genome Project Human curiosity is one of the most powerful engines that drive new knowledge, development, advancements and life improvements today. Some 100,000 or 200,000 years ago Homo sapiens emerged, and up to today humans are still searching for answers such as what we are and where we came from. For all of the diversity of the world's more than five billion people, full of creativity and contradictions, every human mind and body is built and runs with fewer than 100,000 kinds of protein molecules. And for each of the proteins, a single corresponding gene is responsible to ensure an adequate and timely supply. Genes are often described as the biological blueprints or recipes for life and are found in the DNA, carrying the genetic information from one generation to the next. Many people are convinced that genes are special, that they contain a person's essence, which has enormous spiritual and commercial value. In the deepest sense, we are who we are because of our genes, and therefore it is essential to gain knowledge about the manifold mysteries of life, our genes, and our biological inheritance in full ultimate molecular detail. With advances in molecular genetics, it became possible to launch the Human Genome Project (HGP) - a sequencing project that determines the genetic makeup of an organism by reading off the sequence of the three billion DNA bases, which encode all of the information necessary for the life of the organism. Profits, curiosity and dreams of better methods to prevent and treat diseases are driving efforts to find and decode human genes. The sequence of our genome will ultimately allow us to discover the secrets of life's processes, the biochemical basis of our senses and our memory, our dev... ...n genome project in disease prevention. Preventive Medicine. 23:591-594. Koenig, R. 1997. Watson urges "put Hitler behind us'. Science 276:892. Maddox, J. 1995. Directory to the human genome. Nature. 376:459-460. McConkey, E. 1993. The Human Genome Project. In: Human genetics. The molecular revolution. E. McConkey (ed.). England. Jones and Bartlett Publishers Inc. 306-317. Pearson, M. L. and D. Sà ¶ll. 1991. The Human Genome Project: a paradigm for information management in the life sciences. FASEB. 5:35-39. Velà ¡zquez A. and H. Bourges. 1999. Implications of the Human Genome Project for understanding gene-environment interactions. Nutrition Reviews. 57 (5):S39-41. Wade, N. Dr. J. Craig Venter: The genome's combative entrepreneur. Obtained from www 10-16-1999: http://search.nytimes.com/search/daily/bin/fastweb?getdoc+site+site+25726+0+wAAA+Craig%7EVenter