Level of life
Gene
A basic unit of heredity: a stretch of DNA with instructions for a product such as a protein or a functional RNA.
Human genome
The full DNA sequence of a human. Drafts were published in 2001, and the first gap-free sequence in 2022.Source: Lander et al., 2001Source: Venter et al., 2001Source: Nurk et al., 2022
Also called Human Genome Project.
Idea or model
How Human genome connects
Human genome contains
Human genome is made possible by
Technology or method
DNA sequencing
Reading the order of the bases in DNA, from single genes to whole genomes.
Human genome uses
Technology or method
Bioinformatics
Using computers to store, search and analyze biological data such as DNA and protein sequences.
Human genome raises questions of
Ethics and safety
Bioethics
Weighing the benefits, risks and fairness of biological research and its uses.
Human genome is related to
Idea or model
Human genetic variation
Differences in DNA between people. A 2015 study reconstructed the genomes of 2,504 people from 26 populations.
Studied in
Your progress
Sources & further reading
The explanations on this page are our own summaries of these sources. Follow a link to read the original; if anything here disagrees with it, the original wins. How we choose and check sources.
Initial sequencing and analysis of the human genome (opens the original in a new tab)
Lander ES, Linton LM, Birren B, et al. (2001). Nature 409:860-921.
Peer-reviewedPrimary researchThe sequence of the human genome (opens the original in a new tab)
Venter JC, Adams MD, Myers EW, et al. (2001). Science 291:1304-1351.
Peer-reviewedPrimary researchThe complete sequence of a human genome (opens the original in a new tab)
Nurk S, Koren S, Rhie A, et al. (2022). Science 376:44-53.
The Telomere-to-Telomere consortium's gapless human genome assembly.
Peer-reviewedPrimary research