[...]... another level They published an enormous list—a list of the chemicals that make up all the genes in the DNA IT IS A GREATER 2 ~ THE GENOMICS AGE of the human race In other words, they published the sequence of the human genome And now the life-changing work can begin Knowing what a human being is made of is the first step toward knowing how to fix that human being when something goes wrong, or how to prevent... level, discovering the language in which our very existence is written The sum total of genes in a species the DNA information that determines whether you have hair or hooves, teeth or a tail is called the genome Genomics is the emerging science of understanding the human genome, and of determining how the DNA in every human being affects identity, health, and disease And genomics is launching other sciences... Marker M and HD MOTHER M HD CHILDREN M M M HD HD Marker M and HD Marker M Only* Marker M and HD * Recombinant: Frequency of this event reflects the distance between genes for the marker M and HD FIGURE 1-2 How genes are passed on from parents to child All of this is only possible because scientists are now beginning to understand the stuff we re made of Progress is coming in fits and starts and there are. .. of DNA who the players are and what the technology is all about the right decisions are difficult to make You can’t invest in or follow the DNA industry without knowing this stuff, either It’s my hope that this book will give you not only the insight into what’s happening in this historic revolution, but also the lay language and background to ask the hard questions—of yourself, the politicians who. .. for their work in 1961 IT’S WHO YOU ARE ~ 25 Thanks to the matching rule, there is a DNA industry Because of it, Fred Sanger and, later, Leroy Hood were able to develop their sequencers, and splicing and recombining DNA became possible Understanding how bases always match up allowed high-powered computers to shred and put back together human DNA and figure out exactly what the human genome sequence is. .. multibillion-dollar industry It’s All in the Matching I’ve already said that the actual shape of the DNA molecule is like a ladder—a double-twisted ladder Recall that the two sides of the ladder are long chains of sugar and phosphate The rungs are pairs of chemicals—base pairs, we call them There is a rule for how bases pair up Cs always pair with Gs, and Ts always pair with As Always No exceptions In other... companies are using worm DNA to figure out how to slow human aging, or how doctors are employing DNA knowledge to finally win the fight against cancer? Most people don’t The DNA sciences will dominate in the twenty-first century, and you need to understand the terms and the concepts if you’re going to stay on top of and benefit from the huge DNA- related advances in medicine and other sciences At first, the. .. you have your father’s nose and your maternal grandmother’s hair, while your sister has just the opposite From this example, it might seem as if you IT’S WHO YOU ARE ~ 19 ~~~~~~~~~~~ only have genetic material from one grandparent on each side, but that is overly simplistic Remember, your father’s DNA is a combination of his parents, and that your mother’s is a combination of hers That is why, unless... Francis Collins, Human Genome Project leader, it is as if we have discovered the Book of Life, only to find the book is written in an unknown language That means there is much left to do, and the benefits of the DNA sciences will arrive piecemeal, as we become increasingly fluent in its grammar and peculiar turns of speech And we must be careful not to get carried away with the hype surrounding this... understand the new riches of knowledge, so that we can apply them wisely.”5 Scientists such as Baltimore have long understood the frontier of the human genome and what it means to human beings For the rest of us, it’s taken a little longer For most Americans, the science and terminology of the DNA revolution are brand new, just now appearing in the papers and on TV The science of DNA is simple, elegant, and . Cataloging-in-Publication Data Smith, Gina. The genomics age : how DNA technology is transforming the way we live and who we are / Gina Smith. p. cm. Includes index. ISBN 0-8 14 4-0 84 3-5 1. Genetics—Popular. y0 w0 h1" alt="" THE GENOMICS AGE This page intentionally left blank THE GENOMICS AGE How DNA Technology Is Transforming the Way We Live and Who We Are GINA SMITH AMERICAN MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION NEW. children. These are issues we all need to think about. But without a decent grounding in the science of DNA who the players are and what the technology is all about the right decisions are difficult