The genome is the genetic material of an organism. The human genome is DNA. Thus, the mapping of the human genome means that scientists have unraveled human DNA, the blueprint for human beings, and discovered the order of the nucleotides. Having human DNA mapped is expected to speed the discovery of which genes are responsible for hereditary cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.
Francis Collins (right), Director of the National Human Genome Research Institute, shakes hands with J. Craig Venter, President of Celera Genomics Inc. during a press conference on the completion of the first assembly of the human genome. (June 26, 2000)
(Photo by Alex Wong/Newsmakers)
On June 26, 2000, two rival teams of scientists announced a scientific accomplishment that was expected to greatly affect the future. Dr. J. Craig Venter, head of Celera Genomics (a private company in Rockville, MD), and Dr. Francis Collins, head of the National Human Genome Research Institute, made a first draft of the human genome.
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