Deciphering the Genetic Code o
I'll be the first to admit it, I'm a skeptic of the worst kind; it's just my nature, I guess. So, I guess it goes without saying that I'm not impressed with all the recent hype about the Human Genome Project. People have gone so far as to hail the HGP as "the cure" for all of mankind's ails. Even with advance technology that allows scientists to map the genome sequence of a human being, we have failed to find a cure the common cold. And yet, scientists feel confident that the tools needed to treat genes involved in diseases will likely be developed within the next twenty years. My response - I'll believe it when I see it. While I do not dispute of importance of this project and its ability to revolutionize biological research and medicine, I chose to look at a similar project that has had a significant impact on agriculture - the completion of a plant's genetic map.In 1996, a $70 million dollar project was started to map the genetic sequence of a plant. Drawing heavily on researc
h done by the HGP, scientists on three continents worked in collaboration on the project, which was completed this past December. The complete genetic code of Arabidopsis thaliana was published in the December issue of the scientific journal, Nature. Mayo Clinic. 1999. "Human Genome Project: Mapping Ourselves." Mayo Clinic Online. http://www.mayohealth.org/mayo/9908/htm/hgp.htm. Accessed on 10/12/00. Ross, Emma and Paul Recer. 2000. "Genetic Map of a Plant Completed." Popular Science Magazine Online. http://www.popsci.com/scitech/features/plant.html. Accessed on 3/17/2001. Researchers working the United States, Great Britain, France, Germany, and Japan selected Arabidopsis thaliana, a member of the mustard family and a cousin to the cauliflower plant, over approximately 250,000 other species because the weed, more commonly known as thale cress, contains all the chromosomes of a more complex plant but is biologically simple. Each plant has 25,000 genes located on 5 genes; thes
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Approximate Word count = 664
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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