The human body has been mapped and charted at different levels since before recorded history. The concept of the human genome project allows international scientists to take this mapping to an entirely new level and depth of complexity. Genes that scientists have mapped and broken down to fully understand, can then be manipulated and adjusted, enabling them to see changes that have taken place in the gene prior to it's 'dissection' or it's previous generations. Unfortunately, for those who are anxious to discover what every gene in the human body accounts for, they will have to be patient, due to the fact that the human being is one of the most complicated creatures on which to do this type of research. The estimated cost of this project "(upwards of hundreds of million US dollars!)"4 does not seem to have deterred the investors and sponsors, or the enthusiasm of those who work and struggle in this global village-like endeavor.

This project is not an idea that has just been made possible recently due to technology. By the mid-1980s, advances in chromosome mapping and other DNA techniques led many scientists to discuss mapping all 46 chromosomes in the relatively large human genome. Precise, standardized maps of all human chromosomes and knowledge of the nucleotide sequence of human DNA will allow scientists to find and study the genes connected to human diseases much more efficiently and practically than has ever been feasible. This new effort - the Human Genome Project - is anticipated to take 15 years to complete and consists of two primary components: 1 - creating maps of the 23 pairs of chromosomes, to be completed in the first 5 to 10 years. 2 - sequencing the DNA contained in all the chromosomes - will probably demand the whole 15 years.1 This endeavor will not only include the participation of the United States, but that of nearly every technologically modern nation on the globe who will enthusiastically be trying to get their input accounted for and maybe used as an important piece of information for the final product.

Although technology's massive advances since the project began have continually assisted people working on this, it is still too slow, inefficient, and costly to use for sequencing even the amount of DNA contained in a single human chromosome, let alone the entire human structure. So while some genome project scientists are developing chromosome maps, others will be working to improve the practicality and lower the cost of sequencing technology. Large-scale sequencing of the human genome will not initiate until those new machines have been conceived and finally invented.1 Some people question the validity of the Human Genome Project and do not see the opportunities that it holds. When biologists relate the human genome to the genomes of other organisms, they gain insight into molecular evolution, as well as human evolution. Comparisons of human and mouse DNA sequences will assist in identifying genes that are unique to one or more complex organisms, and comparisons of DNA sequences from humans and fruit flies could help distinguish genes necessary for all multicellular organisms. Comparisons of human and yeast DNA sequences may help identify genes affiliated with functions needed for all eukaryotic cells.2 Genome information can argue the future likelihood of some diseases. One example is if the gene responsible for Huntington's disease is existing, it is probable that symptoms will inevitably occur, though geneticists cannot confidently foresee the time of onset. Genome data also helps geneticists predict which individuals have an heightened susceptibility to disorders such as cancer, heart disease, or diabetes, which result from complex mixing between genes and the environment to which they are exposed.2

Once scientists and biologists have finished the Human Genome Project, they will be able to successfully and easily diagnose individuals as well as groups, for any defect, discomfort, or infection in their body. This will be possible because after each and every gene and DNA strand and sequence has been labeled and sorted, and biologists will know what can be done to alter a specific defect, mutation, or infection. This could be conducted using gene therapy, gene modification, or even just removing excess base pairs.

Many people have expressed their opinion of this project by bringing up the question of "who's genome is being used in the project?" Although every individual in the world has different DNA and gene sequences, there are minute differences of their body in general. The microscopic differences between any two different humans rest only within 2 to 10 million nucleotide bases, out of 3 billion in total, an amount that adds up to about 1 percent or less of their whole DNA. Due to these small differences that vary from person to person, it is not relatively important whose genome is used. Some people are interested in the differences, and that will be the focus of interest. In some cases, it will be the similarities that are focused on. At locations where the project is being conducted, the cell culture collection contains a number of different human genomes to allow for some, although apparently not necessary, variety.3

Human genome projects are currently being done in Japan, the United Kingdom, Italy, France, and Russia are coupled and allying with the American force through the Human Genome Organization, whose membership comprises scientists and biologists from many different parts of the world. The possibly dormant utilities of the Human Genome Project are extensive and the wisdom accumulated will provide fundamental insights into the genetic basis of human disease, serving as the basic grounds for research and study in human biology and medicine. The new technologies that will expand and profit man through this research may lead to an even deeper and visionary scheme.