18 species to know the human genome

2004/10/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Genetika

The HGRI Institute for Human Genome Research aims to decode the genomes of 18 species. It is the first time that so many living beings are chosen to decode their genomes, from the smallest to the largest: snails, males, cat, elephant of the African savannah...

One criterion for the selection of these species was to select a species from each branch of the mammalian family tree, to subsequently complete information on the human genome. In fact, researchers receive useful information comparing the genomes of different species.

According to the research director of the institute, “with each new genome we sequence, we are increasingly closer to knowing which are the most important genes related to human development, health and disease.”