Ten years after sequencing the human genome, scientists are now beginning to more accurately uncover how our genes and the DNA comprising them really function. In a series of new articles published across the spectrum of scientific journals, researchers working on the ENCODE project are describing their revelatory findings and discussing how they will contribute to our greater understanding of the human genome.
Among these new findings, perhaps the most noteworthy is the realization that over 80 percent of the human genome is, in fact, functional. Those results are in stark contrast to previous estimates that less than 2 percent of our genome was responsible for all of its activity, while the other 98 percent was considered junk.
We at ACSH are impressed with and excited about this undeniable scientific progress, and we re optimistic that these findings will form the basis of research that may one day translate into better treatments and therapies for various diseases.