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Sunday Morning News

Scientists Have Mapped the Human Genome

Aired February 11, 2001 - 8:44 a.m. ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Another important story making news this week will be the unveiling of two critical studies.

As CNN's Anne Kellan reports, they've planned to crack the human code and perhaps change the way we view ourselves.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNE KELLAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is a detailed map of our genome. The lines represent billions of chemical letters, or DNA, contained in every one of our cells. About one percent of these letters are genes that dictate how our bodies grow and function while the rest, scientists suspect, are mostly leftovers from our past.

ERIC LANDER, RESEARCHER: We clean out the attic so rarely in our DNA and it's great because it means the DNA is a history book.

KELLAN: Two separate groups have been in a race to crack the human code. Last June, both announced they had completed rough drafts. Now both versions are getting the endorsement of the scientist community. A private company, Celera Genomics, is publishing its genome in "Science." A public international effort led by the United States government is publishing in the British journal "Nature."

Now, scientists will start to figure out what this massive map means. Already they find we don't have as many genes as we once thought. Genes determine everything from the color of our eyes, our skin color to how well we fight disease. We have about 30,000, approximately the same as a dog.

CRAIG VENTER, CELERA GENOMICS: We have essentially the same components as all other mammals. My dog or, you know, cats, mice, rats, people all share basically the same building set.

KELLAN: And the differences between one person and another, genetically speaking, is tiny. Knowing the genetic landscape will make it easier for scientists to study what each gene does and how they instruct cells to make key proteins. Those proteins perform basic human functions that keep us alive.

A slight variation in the genetic code could predispose a person to disease. LANDER: I think it means that we'll now be able to try to track down the actual causes of disease. What most folks don't realize is that we don't really know the cause of asthma, of heart disease, of diabetes, of hypertension.

KELLAN: It's unclear how long that process will take. Most experts agree we won't see the true payoff for at least 20 and maybe 100 years.

Anne Kellan, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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