Video Transcript
The Human Genome Project, HGP,
aimed to determine the order of base pairs that make up human DNA and identify all
of the genes in the human genome. Which statement about the HGP is
not true? (A) The number of base pairs in the
human genome that the project sequenced was around three billion. (B) The project confirmed that over
99 percent of DNA is the same between individual humans. (C) The project was successfully
completed in 2003. (D) The HGP identified the genes
that cause the common cold and tuberculosis.
Before discussing the Human Genome
Project, let’s first review what we know about DNA. DNA is made up of two strands that
wrap around each other to form the double helix shape that we can see here. DNA is made up of repeating
subunits called nucleotides, each of which can contain a different nitrogenous base:
guanine, cytosine, adenine, or thymine. These bases on each strand of DNA
can pair with each other to form a base pair, which is sometimes shortened to
bp. This is what holds the two strands
together.
We can read the order of these
bases along a strand of DNA as we can see here. This is called a DNA sequence. The sequence of certain segments of
DNA, called genes, gives the instructions for our different characteristics, like
our eye color.
Now that we’ve reviewed some
information about DNA, let’s talk about the Human Genome Project. The Human Genome Project was a
worldwide effort that sequenced all the base pairs in our DNA. It was a project that took years to
complete, beginning in 1990 and ending in 2003. The word genome refers to all the
genetic information in an organism.
After sequencing the human genome,
we found out that we have about three billion base pairs in our genome. We also learned that we have about
20,000 genes in our genome. When we compared the genome
sequence of other humans, we found that we are all very similar and share about 99.9
percent of our DNA. With all this information, we’ve
learned more about genes that can cause some genetic disorders. This information helps to treat
these disorders.
Looking back at our question, we’re
asked to choose the answer choice that’s incorrect regarding the Human Genome
Project. We can see that answer choices (A),
(B), and (C) are all true statements, so these are incorrect answer choices.
Answer choice (D) is correct
because it has an incorrect statement. The Human Genome Project has
discovered genes involved in genetic disorders. The common cold and tuberculosis
are caused by pathogens that infect our body. Therefore, the correct answer is
(D): the HGP identified the genes that cause the common cold and tuberculosis.
