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The Human Genome Project is one of the most significant scientific endeavours of modern times. The first draft of the human genetic sequence, published in June 2000, was a major milestone in our understanding of how all life on Earth, including ourselves, evolved; and of how life continues to change and adapt even today. Sir John Sulston, then head of the Sanger Centre in Cambridge, led the British side of the project. In the 2001 Royal Institution Christmas Lectures, he addresses some of the fundamental questions to which genetics is only now beginning to answer. What is the difference between a living thing and a non-living thing? How did life begin? Did all life on Earth come from a single ancestor? And how did it evolve? How do living things put themselves together? How does your body get built? What makes you human? We have now read the recipe for human life, but to find all the genes - let alone understand how they work - will take many years of work by dedicated people. Why are you different from everyone else? How different are you from everyone else? Although we all look different, there is actually very little genetic difference between any of the populations on the planet - just one part in a thousandth of our DNA. What happens when you become ill? Could genetics cure you? Will we ever be free of diseases? The decoding of the human genome is providing a valuable insight into the roots of human illness. Many of our biggest killers can be linked to faults or malfunctions in our genes. What does this new knowledge mean for the future of life on Earth? How much more is there left to find out? As we trace more human characteristics to their genetic roots, could we purposefully 'design' children to possess more 'desirable' traits? And - perhaps more importantly - should we? |
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Bug Lab  Chromosome 11 Lectures Royal Institution Credits |
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