Already, genetic analysis is a commodity sold on the Internet for as little as $500. Each day, more people submit DNA for analysis \u201d\u201d just as the students did for their class \u201d\u201d and confront perplexed doctors with profound and frequently unanswerable questions about what the results mean.<\/p>\n
That’s because most genomic information is awash in uncertainty, Kim says. Few diseases are caused by a single, readily identifiable gene; most result from the interplay of genes and a host of other factors, from lifestyle to the environment.<\/p>\n
That researchers still have so far to go in their effort to understand the workings of the genome may come as a surprise to many who perceived Clinton’s White House announcement, followed three years later by news that the final genome sequence was virtually complete, as the climax of the quest.<\/p>\n
In fact, the completion of the Human Genome Project was more of a milestone along the road to understanding than it was a mission accomplished. Most scientists regard the achievement as a launching pad for revolutions in biology and related technologies that are just now getting underway.<\/p>\n