The Challenge of Genomic Sequencing

Images: The Challenge of Genomic Sequencing

Caption: The illustration shows the relative numbers of base pairs for genetic sequencing of the genomes for a nematode, a fly, the plant Arabidopsis, the first microorganims to have its genome sequenced and a human being.

Homo sapiens (humans) (2) Haemophilus influenzae

From the tiny genome of the first bacterium sequenced, Haemophilus influenzae, with 1.8 million base pairs, to the 3.12 billion that comprise the human genome was a leap of enormous magnitude. Researchers from Celera Genomics, who helped sequence the human genome, estimate that assembly of the 3.12 billion base pairs of DNA required 500 million trillion sequence comparisons.

Source: CDC, CDC/Dr. Erskine Palmer, S. Blair Hedges

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