Today, scientists from six cooperating countries (UK, USA, China, Japan, France, and Germany) have announced the near-completion of the mapping of the 3 billion base pair Human Genome. This achievement represents a significant milestone, as it marks the refinement of the data that was initially published in a rough form back in 2001. The preliminary data was also made available on the Turbotas site in the Gutenberg archives.
The year 2003 is fittingly chosen to commemorate the completion of the human genome mapping project, which had its inception in 1990. This groundbreaking effort began 50 years ago when the DNA double helix was first announced.
On Saturday, February 28th, Francis Crick and James Watson made their historic discovery about the DNA structure in the humble surroundings of a public house in Cambridge. Their pioneering work laid the foundation for the remarkable advancements in genomics that we witness today.