The Human Genome Project is an international cooperative project which aims to determine the location of all the genes on human chromosomes and determine as many of the nitrogen base sequences as possible. This study has continued in labs across the world and has reached some interesting conclusions, including the evidence that the human genome consists of 30,000 to 40,000 genes, which is a much smaller total than had been envisioned even a decade ago!

Potential Benefits of the Human Genome Project:

1. It will allow scientists to develop tests which can more easily identify genetic diseases in patients.

2. It will allow scientists to better understand how the fetus develops from the fertilized egg to birth.

3. It will allow scientists to develop medicines based on specific gene sequences of genes or based upon the protein structures coded for by these genes.

The Human Genome Project Information (US government)

All About the Human Genome Project (Genome.gov)