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Cracking the Code of Life
Understanding heredity
Intro
Pythagoras
Empedocles
Aristotle
Harvey
Leeuwenhoek
de Maupertuis
Darwin
Mendel
Morgan
Crick & Watson
McClintock
Genome Project
Image
When Human Genome Project researchers have completed their task, they will have mapped and sequenced three billion nucleotide base pairs.



1990 Human Genome Project
The Human Genome Project is an international research effort to decode the human genome, the complete genetic instructions for a human being. Project leaders originally estimated the work would take 15 years, but with the help of supercomputers and adrenaline, they now expect to sequence the complete human code by 2003. With the final sequence in hand, scientists, doctors, and students will have the use of all the DNA information that is key to understanding even the most complex biological systems in our bodies. The possibilities for applications of this information in research are innumerable. At the very least, authorities expect the human code to revolutionize our understanding of human disease. For more information about the Human Genome Project, see Genome Facts.


Watch the Program Here | Our Genetic Future (A Survey)
Manipulating Genes: How Much is Too Much? | Understanding Heredity
Explore a Stretch of Code | Nature vs Nurture Revisited
Sequence for Yourself | Journey into DNA | Meet the Decoders
Resources | Update to Program | Teacher's Guide | Transcript
Site Map | Cracking the Code of Life Home

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