Comparative Genomics

The impact of genomics on the economy begins to be significant on the finances of industrialized countries. Recently, it was revealed that the investment made by the U.S. government in the Human Genome Project since 1988 has led to a return on investment close to $ 140 for every dollar. By the most recent report by United Medical Research and the Battelle Institute, the U.S. economy has generated a trillion dollars from this investment. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development has defined genomics as one of the pillars of the bio-economy over the next two decades. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development has identified six areas where genomics will have the greatest impact: human health, animal health, agriculture and food, biotech, environmental and forensic, justice and security.

What Makes us Human? (Compare  to other primates)

The results of the research scientists have been recorded and published into books such as “The Origin of Species” and “Experiments on Plant Hybridization”. Paleontologists have identified many features of human skeletons, therefore helping them out in distinguishing the difference between human and apes.These skeletal qualities only describes what “houses” a human. Such as anthropologists have been researching and or identifying human remains, and described them as “tool users”. Over the years of studying other primates such as chimpanzees and gorillas have been using crude tools. Molecular geneticists are trying to determine what makes us human by using DNA sequences between human and apes. The DNA will give valuable information on unique human features like the skeletal features and behavioral differences. It is said by researchers that humans share almost 96 percent of their genetic material with chimpanzees and bonobos, our closest living relatives.