The human genome

The human genome is a medical research project that has been in the making since the discovery of DNA; what it is, is the classification of all human DNA codes. The significance of this is of course, by mapping out the human DNA codings, it is possible to predict illnesses for individuals and even for generations yet to come! According to the article, "Family Pioneers in Exploration of the Genome," by Amy Dockser, it is becoming increasingly less expensive for public genetic mapping: "Now, the price of the technology is rapidly plummeting. Illumina, which charged $48,000 to do individual genomes in 2009, now charges $9,500, or less for patients with life-threatening diseases."

The research however is very slow and arduous. It is also difficult to map genetic code to disease. However, the technology, even in its beginning phases has proven to be lifesaving and a major step in the medical world. With the use of the human Genome, it is also possible to predict certain types of cancer, what this would essentially mean is early treatment could be applied to either eliminate or lower risk of illness. Other illnesses such as autism and Alzheimer’s could be better understood through this method of disese analytics. It is therefore important to continue testing and research on the human gnome for the sake of future generations.