What We've Done Up To Now
As you have seen, sequencing the human genome is a major undertaking and so it is understandable that scientists started this process on smaller organisms. Smaller, less complex organisms have fewer base pairs to sequence. This taught scientists a great deal about the process of sequencing and also helped develop machines that greatly increased the speed at which a genome of an organism could be completed.
Work has now been completed on several viruses and bacteria. Larger, more complex organisms like bakers yeast, roundworm and fruit flies have also been sequenced.
So now the methodology and expertise, along with new computer programs and machines to count base pairs are available to take on the most complicated project in the history of biology. The Human Genome Project!
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