What happens now that the human genome sequence is completed?
The working-draft DNA sequence and the more polished 2003 version represent an enormous achievement, akin in scientific importance, some say, to developing the periodic table of elements. And, as in most major scientific advances, much work remains to realize the full potential of the accomplishment. Early explorations of the human genome, now joined by projects on the genomes of several other organisms, are generating data whose volume and complex analyses are unprecedented in biology. Genomic-scale technologies will be needed to study and compare entire genomes, sets of expressed RNAs or proteins, gene families from a large number of species, variation among individuals, and the classes of gene regulatory elements. Deriving meaningful knowledge from DNA sequences will define biological research through the coming decades and require the expertise and creativity of teams of biologists, chemists, engineers, and computational scientists, among others. A sampling follows of some research
