What were these scientists trying to do before 2001, and what are they trying to do now? 


before 2001  The Human Genome Project launched in 1990, through funding from the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Department of Energy, whose labs joined with international collaborators and resolved to sequence 95% of the DNA in human cells in just 15 years.




What are the potential benefits to science, medicine, and human life?


The potential for commercial development of genomics research presents U.S. industry with a wealth of opportunities, and sales of DNA-based products and technologies in the biotechnology industry are projected to exceed $45 billion by 2009  




How do the goals and scientific approaches of the publicly funded universities working on this project differ from those of the privately-funded research companies that are also involved?


The Human Genome Project could not have been completed as quickly and as effectively without the strong participation of international institutions. In the United States, contributors to the effort include the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which began participation in 1988 when it created the Office for Human Genome Research, later upgraded to the National Center for Human Genome Research in 1990 and then the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) in 1997; and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), where HGP discussions began as early as 1984. 




Is this evidence as straightforward and clear-cut as the popular press often implies?  


yes








How could making your personal DNA information publicly available be harmful to you?  


someone could steal it and use it for the wrng thing or your DNA info could get tampered with.








What are some sex-linked traits that you found especially interesting?


fragile-X syndrome
 Haemophilia
albinism 






 What specifically do the authors of these sites suggest that individuals who carry the genes for these traits do to avoid having children who will inherit them?


Scientist recommend the parent gets tested and get checked out by a doctor.










Search the Internet for information about the epigenome of humans.  Who is doing research in this new area and what are they focusing on?

Heredity WebQuest Blog

Heredity WebQuest Blog

What were these scientists trying to do before 2001, and what are they trying to do now? 

Before the year 2001, scientist were:

• identify all the approximately 20,000-25,000 genes in human DNA,
• determine the sequences of the 3 billion chemical base pairs that make up human DNA,
• store this information in databases,
• improve tools for data analysis,
• transfer related technologies to the private sector, and
• address the ethical, legal, and social issues (ELSI) that may arise from the project.

http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/project/about.shtml