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Scientists Claim Woman's DNA Sequenced
2008-05-27
Men have claimed the DNA-sequencing spotlight until now. Today, Dutch scientists said they have done the first sequencing of an individual woman's DNA. The work has not been peer reviewed or published, however. It was announced at a meeting in The Netherlands. Researchers at Leiden University Medical Center claim to have sequenced the DNA of geneticist Marjolein Kriek, who works there. "It was time, after sequencing four males, to balance the genders a bit," said professor Gert-Jan B van Ommen, who led the work. The first human DNA sequencing was presented in 2001; it was of a composite of multiple people. The DNA sequences of James Watson, discoverer of the DNA's double helix structure, came in 2007. Later the DNA of gene hunter Craig Venter was published. Recently the completion of the sequences of two Yoruba-African males was announced. "While women don't have a Y-chromosome, they have two X-chromosomes," van Ommen said. "As the X-chromosome is present as a single copy in half the population, the males, it has undergone a harsher selection in human evolution. This has made it less variable. We considered that sequencing only males, for 'completeness', slows insight into X-chromosome variability. So it was time, after sequencing four males, to balance the genders a bit." Genes are the blueprints of life, carrying the evolved traits (good or bad) from one generation to the next. Researchers expect a better understanding of the human genome will lead to disease cures and treatments. "The sequencing itself took about six months," said Johan den Dunnen, another member of the team. "Partly since it was run as a 'side operation' filling the empty positions on the machine while running other projects. Would such a job be done in one go, it would take just ten weeks." What Makes a Genius? The Top 10 Worst Hereditary Conditions Neanderthal: 99.5 Percent Human Original Story: Scientists Claim Woman's DNA Sequenced Visit LiveScience.com for more daily news, views and scientific inquiry with an original, provocative point of view. LiveScience reports amazing, real world breakthroughs, made simple and stimulating for people on the go. Check out our collection of Science, Animal and Dinosaur Pictures, Science Videos, Hot Topics, Trivia, Top 10s, Voting, Amazing Images, Reader Favorites, and more. Get cool gadgets at the new LiveScience Store, sign up for our free daily email newsletter and check out our RSS feeds today!
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