- Reprinted courtesy of the Perl Journal, http://www.tpj.com Archive.
- Lincoln Stein’s website is http://stein.cshl.org
DATE: Early February, 1996
LOCATION: Cambridge, England, in the conference room of the largest DNA sequencing center in Europe.
OCCASION: A high level meeting between the computer scientists of this center and the largest DNA sequencing center in the United States.
THE PROBLEM: Although the two centers use almost identical laboratory techniques, almost identical databases, and almost identical data analysis tools, they still can’t interchange data or meaningfully compare results.
THE SOLUTION: Perl.
The human genome project was inaugurated at the beginning of the decade as an ambitious international effort to determine the complete DNA sequence of human beings and several experimental animals. The justification for this undertaking is both scientific and medical. By understanding the genetic makeup of an organism in excruciating detail, it is hoped that we will be better able to understand how organisms develop from single eggs into complex multicellular beings, how food is metabolized and transformed into the constituents of the body, how the nervous system assembles itself into a smoothly functioning ensemble. From the medical point of view, the wealth of knowledge that will come from knowing the complete DNA sequence will greatly accelerate the process of finding the causes of (and potential cures for) human diseases.
Six years after its birth, the genome project is ahead of schedule. Detailed maps of the human and all the experimental animals have been completed (mapping out the DNA using a series of landmarks is an obligatory first step before determining the complete DNA sequence). The sequence of the smallest model organism, yeast, is nearly completed, and the sequence of the next smallest, a tiny soil-dwelling worm, isn’t far behind. Large scale sequencing efforts for human DNA started at several centers a number of months ago and will be in full swing within the year.
July 3rd, 2008 at 3:52 pm
[...] College Degree Central wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerpt The helix graphic is reproduced from Dr. Lincoln Stein’s article “How Perl Saved the Human Genome Project” as published in the September 1996 issue of The Perl Journal. Reprinted courtesy of the Perl Journal, http://www.tpj.com Archive. Lincoln Stein’s website is http://stein.cshl.org DATE: Early February, 1996 LOCATION: Cambridge, England, in the conference room of the largest DNA sequencing center in Europe. OCCASION: A high level meeting between the computer scientists of this [...]
September 11th, 2010 at 8:37 am
Buy:Retin-A.Valtrex.Zyban.Nexium.Mega Hoodia.Human Growth Hormone.Zovirax.Lumigan.Prednisolone.Synthroid.100% Pure Okinawan Coral Calcium.Petcam (Metacam) Oral Suspension.Arimidex.Accutane.Actos.Prevacid….