April 14 - Anniversary of the Completion of the Human Genome Project

Published on April 14, 2021

This is an update of my post published on April 14, 2010:

On this date in 2003, a press conference was held to announce the completion of the Human Genome Project, two years earlier than planned.

If you wrote out your genome, it would fill hundreds of
thick, densely printed books!

The goal of the project was to figure out the order of chemical base pairs that make up DNA and to identify and map all 19,000 to 22,000 human genes. Obviously, since nobody has exactly the same genome (other than identical twins), the project of mapping the genome involves sequencing variations of each gene.

Identical twins are (nearly) identical because
they share the same genome.

This project and other parallel projects, as well as work on sequencing the genome of other creatures and comparison of various genomes, has furthered and will continue to be applied to medicine, energy and environmental projects, forensics (such as identifying the victim of a crime), agriculture, ancestry and human evolution, migration, and other assorted topics.

DNA studies tell us a lot about human migration in general (above)
and ancestry for each of us (below) - although these studies are
relatively recent, and findings are approximations.

The more we learn, the more detailed and certain these
approximations are! Note in the various Ancestry-dot-Com
reports below, the percentages of ancestry from various
locations have increased or decreased, or have been
"refined,"as more and more people have been analyzed.

Learn more about Genetics

Here is a wonderful online mini-course on genetics. Each concept has an illustrated explanation, animation, “gallery” of photos or diagrams, some audio-visual clips, biographies of important scientists, a problem or two for kids to answer, and links to other websites. Excellent!

Zoom into your genome is a simple video with  images of cells, chromosomes, and DNA. Another educational video about DNA  can be found at Clarendon Learning.

Explore the Baby Genetics Calculator and learn more about genes and inheritance. I found the portion about eye color very interesting (scroll down to "Baby Eye Color Calculator") - especially because I happen to have hazel eyes, and that's a wildcard of sorts!

Hazel eyes are brown and gray and green and
maybe even a little bit blue.

Here are some more lessons for groups or classes.

This simple experiment uses ordinary household items to extract DNA from strawberries. You can actually see and feel DNA!

There are more DNA activities in this December, 2009, post.

Also on this date:

National Dolphin Day  

Author and educator John Holt's birthday

Archeologist Augustus Pitt-Rivers's birthday

Pan-American Day

Orange Day in Japan

New Year's Celebrations in Cambodia and Laos 

Slovenian Frost Art

National Gardening Day

Children with Alopecia Day

Lao New Year

Plan ahead:

Check out my Pinterest boards for:

• April holidays
• April birthdays
• Historical anniversaries in April
  
  

And here are my Pinterest boards for:

• May holidays
• May birthdays
• Historical anniversaries in May

April 25 - DNA Day

You probably know that you have trillions of sets of instructions that tell how to build...well, you! Each and every one of your cells has a nucleus packed with DNA, tightly coiled molecules that encode all your genetic information—from how tall you are (or will be when full grown) to eye color to ear lobe shape.

It took generations—and a scientist (who was also a monk) named Gregor Mendel—to come up with the idea of genes.

It took centuries of scientific inquiry and thought—and two scientists named James Watson and Francis Crick—to discover the double-helix structure of DNA. A helix is a curve that sort of spirals or coils around and around. In the DNA molecule, there are two of these curves spiraling around a common axis—and the two curves are joined together with “bases,” which are like rungs in a ladder.

It took about 13 years to sequence the human genome—that is, to map out the 20 to 25 thousand genes, including roughly what they “do,” of a particular human.

And Now...

In the decade since we finished the Human Genome Project—where are we at with DNA?

Humans have sequenced the DNA of many animals, plants, and microbes such as bacteria. We have even sequenced DNA of extinct species such as the mastodon and the wooly mammoth!

We now understand more clearly how various organisms evolved, and which creatures are most closely related. DNA studies have provided tons of evolutionary evidence that agree with other lines of evidence such as fossils and geographical distribution of animals and plants.

We are learning to do genetic engineering. Perhaps someday we can correct birth defects before birth or shut down cancer before it starts!

We can use DNA evidence to help solve crimes—and even to release wrongly imprisoned people who were not able to take advantage of such evidence when they were tried for crimes years ago!

Advances in DNA sequencing have led to huge advances in computer science—and those advances show up in our lives as better search engines like Google and ever more engaging games. We are also now able store vast amounts of information.

We are learning to use DNA nanotechnology to create specific structures including molecular machines and DNA computers. Stay tuned for further advances in this area!

DNA has helped people make advances in history, archeology, paleontology, and genealogy.

April 14, 2010

Anniversary of completion of the Human Genome Project – 2003

On this date in 2003, a press conference was held to announce the completion of the Human Genome Project, two years earlier than planned.

The goal of the project was to figure out the order of chemical base pairs that make up DNA and to identify and map all 20,000 – 25,000 human genes. Obviously, since nobody has exactly the same genome (other than identical twins), the project of mapping the genome involves sequencing variations of each gene.

This project and other parallel projects, as well as work on sequencing the genome of other creatures and comparison of various genomes, has furthered and will continue to be applied to medicine, energy and environmental projects, forensics (such as identifying the victim of a crime), agriculture, ancestry and human evolution, migration, and assorted other anthropology topics.

Learn more about Genetics

• Here is a wonderful online mini-course on genetics. Each concept has an illustrated explanation, animation, “gallery” of photos or diagrams, some audio-visual clips, biographies of important scientists, a problem or two for kids to answer, and links to other websites. Excellent!

• Zoom into DNA is an opportunity to see amazing real images of cells, chromosomes, and DNA.

• Explore the Eye Color Calculator (and learn more about genes and inheritance)!

• Here are some more lessons, labs (experiments), games, and puzzles. All the PDF files I looked at seemed to be for middle grades and up, and many are best done in groups or classrooms.

• This simple experiment uses ordinary household items to extract DNA from fruit. You can actually see and feel DNA!

• There are more DNA activities in this December, 2009, post.