HOME | dnasequencing

Did you know...

Even at a rate of 60 wpm, it can take up to 50 years for a person to type up the entire human genome even if they work eight hours a day. Imagine how much time it would take to sequence these genes! Fortunately, the development of several technologies have allowed us to delve into the nature of DNA in order to figure out the sequences of the four bases. DNA sequencing holds the power to help us perform DNA analysis, trace our evolutionary past and renew medicine.

What is DNA Sequencing?

What You Should Know at the very Basic Level:

In the most simplest of terms, DNA sequencing is the process of determining the order of bases (A, C, T, G) present on a strand of DNA. It has aided in the completion of the Human Genome Project back in 2003 which has helped in several applications in the field of science as well as the law.

The video on the right gives a short introduction on the process of DNA sequencing and how it is possible for us to figure out the order of the bases in the nucleotides of DNA despite its vastness.

Why Should WE Care?
DNA Sequencing provides a lot of hope for the future generations because of its ability to determine the bases found even in a tiny segment of DNA. This is extremely beneficial because it provides us with the ability to figure out the reasons behind certain diseases and what sorts of mutations cause this offset in the gene. This valuable information can be further applied in real life to possibly alter genes that cause diseases within the bodies of human beings. This enables our ability to cure diseases that can cause major impediments in the human population. Moreover, the deeper that we dig, the more information we shall extract from the DNA molecules and be able to analyze these sequences in order to see how the evolutionary relationships between different species changed over the years.

Disadvantages

Advantages

Our concept of personal privacy can be greatly impacted as people come to feel that their personal and unique touch can be sequenced to every bit and information can be extracted from it
Genetic discrimination may become a potential issue if peoples' employment is affected based on their health care needs
DNA contamination from other organisms
The costs for newer technologies are off the top and not accessible to everyone, especially to the ones that really need it, the impoverished communities

Personalized Medicine for people with mutations in their genes
Patients with cancer be diagnosed for specific problems within their genes and the chemotherapy procedure and be finetuned to fit their special needs in order to prevent killing healthy cells
Potential to form social connections between people as they come to realize they are closely related to each other
Identify genes in the DNA that are responsible for genetic disorders and other such diseases
Trace genealogy, help understand genome

Let's dig up the past! Click to learn more about the history behind DNA sequencing.	Click to view the timeline.	Having the capacity to sequence the DNA has made it convenient in the crime world to unveil criminals. Click to learn more about the application of DNA sequencing in the field of forensics.
Click to learn more about the applications that DNA sequencing has to serve in the field of agriculture!	Want to know about the brains behind this technology? Click to learn now!	DNA Sequencing - Evolutionary Past