Ongoing research
Where to next?
Now we know what an important job DNA does, we can see how being able to read the instructions encoded in the DNA helps us to understand more about human evolution, health and disease.
The Human Genome Project has provided researchers with a huge amount of data about the DNA of humans and other organisms (including worms, flies and mice). This data can be downloaded by anyone with an Internet connection, so that they can see the data or play a part in using this information to understand how our genome works.
Research based on this sequence is already providing information about how our bodies develop and function, how our genes and environment interact, and what happens when things go wrong. In the future, we expect this information to lead to new or improved medical tests and therapies.
