Actually, 2013 has been a big year for whole-genome
sequencing in reptiles.
But let’s back up a step: What is whole-genome sequencing?
A genome is the
entirety of an organism’s genetic material – all of its DNA. Genes –
small sections of DNA – code for proteins.
One gene might tell your body how to make a certain type of protein, and that protein
might help build cells, or catalyze chemical reactions, or do pretty much
anything else your body needs. If you
think of genes as the body’s instructions, then the genome is the entire
blueprint.
Back in the early 1990’s, a group of scientists from various
institutions in several countries embarked upon a legendary task: to describe
and record the entire human genome – every gene in the body. The Human Genome Project took over ten
years to complete, but finally in 2003, these scientists published the full
human whole-genome sequence for the
first time - a full list of about 20,500 genes. The Human Genome Project was
one of the most monumental achievements of recent science, and it has led to
incredible advancements in our understanding of human development, evolution, and
especially genetic diseases.