Global genome study shows how everyone is different, same

SAN FRANCISCO

A groundbreaking new survey of human genetics across the globe called the 1,000 Genomes Project finished Wednesday and now provides a rich database for future researchers studying the nature of human evolution.

The final two papers of the seven-year study were published in the journal Nature by researchers from the University of Michigan, the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and elsewhere. The publication comes the same week as the 25-year anniversary of the launch of the Human Genome Project, an extremely ambitious international project focused on creating the first complete map of the human genome. Completed in 2003, the Human Genome Project cataloged all 3 billion chemical units that make up human genes and provided crucial information for several fields, including medicine and biotechnology.

Launched in 2008, the 1,000 Genomes Project is a direct descendant of the Human Genome Project. It was aimed at exploring the variances among human beings around the globe. The project actually ended up sequencing the genes of 2,504 individuals from 26 diverse populations. The subjects came from 18 countries spread across 5 continents. Scientists found 88 million genetic variants – signifiers that mark differences between individuals and populations.

The research shows that each person is actually incredibly diverse genetically and the genes of each person differs from a reference genome at 4 - 5 million separate sites on average.

“We now have a public repository that describes the range and diversity of genetic variation around the world,” Gonçalo Abecasis, one of the project’s lead researchers, said in a statement. “We now know which genes rarely change and which are altered in different populations.”

Researchers have agreed to make the genetic profiles open and available to scientists around the world. The vast and diverse library will help geneticists better understand disease. It will also be a huge resource for scientists exploring how humans evolved in the past and how they are evolving in the present.