![]() "But we now understand that having just one map of a single human genome cannot adequately represent all of humanity."Īround 99.9% of the three billion letters in our genetic code are common to all humans, binding us together as a species.īut 0.1% contains variations that reflect our individual ancestry.Īnalysis of the 47 samples by scientists in the Human Pangenome Reference Consortium found 119 million new variations in the genetic code and 1,115 repeated sections of DNA that contain genes. "It was profound in how it transformed scientific discovery and launched a powerful era in genetic medicine. "The original Human Genome Project was a landmark achievement," Dr Miga added. ![]() 'Amazing' variation seen for the first time "This is big science at its best," said Dr Karen Miga at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Now, in a major scientific undertaking, a consortium of scientists has produced a more representative genetic manual, called a "pan-genome", that was based on samples taken from 47 diverse individuals. The current "official" DNA code of the human species, which was published as the Human Genome Project in 2001, has since been used as the reference against which all other genetic sequences have been compared.īut the genome was largely based on an anonymous American man of white European descent, creating a bias that's likely to exclude people with other ancestries from genetic advances. They say the major advance could open up a new era of genetic-based tests and treatments to everybody, regardless of their ethnic origin. Scientists have unveiled the first draft of a genetic blueprint that more accurately reflects diversity in the human population.
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