Jacob Price

Block 4

The Human Genome Project or HGP is the complete mapping and understanding of all the genes of human beings.

All of our genes together are known as a “genome”

There are about 20,500 genes in the human body.

It was estimated that there were between 50,000 and 140,00 genes in the human genome

The full sequence was completed in April of 2003

It has given the world detailed information about the structure, organization and function of the complete set of human genes

The information is a basic set of inheritable "instructions" for the development and function of a human being.

It will help to map the entire genomes of several other organisms used in biological research

It will also continue to demand a variety of new technologies to help with mapping the genomes of other organisms

It is controversial because of the high cost and because that sequencing a lot of noncoding DNA should have low priority when there was limited funds

Some say the ability to diagnose a genetic disorder before any treatment does more harm than good because it creates anxiety and frustration