The Human Genome Project

• The Human Genome Project was an international effort (1990–2003) to determine the sequence of genes on human chromosomes and the sequence of nucleotides in all of them.
• Results: the number of known human genes is about 25,000, distributed on 23 pairs of chromosomes (the book writes 23 chromosomes, referring to the haploid set).
• The information is available to the scientific community.

Importance:

1. Identify the genes that cause common or rare genetic diseases.
2. Identify the genes that cause disabilities in organs' functions.
3. Help in future drug manufacture, to obtain drugs with fewer or no side effects.
4. Study evolution, by comparing the human genome with genomes of other organisms.