Craig Venter became both author and subject when researchers published the first complete genome sequenced from a single person, in the open-access journal PLoS Biology in September 2007. The 2.8-billion-base-pair sequence required an additional $10 million and three years of work beyond his earlier effort.
The result upended a view that had solidified since 2000: that all humans share roughly 99.9 percent of their genetic code. Those earlier genome projects had drawn DNA from multiple donors, which concealed the true scale of individual variation. The new sequence, designated HuRef, found that more than 44 percent of genes differ in sequence across individuals.
The differences run deeper than single nucleotide polymorphisms, the point mutations once considered the main source of human genetic diversity. Segments of DNA long dismissed as nonfunctional turned out to vary significantly between people as well.
Analysis of Venter's own sequence flagged genetic predispositions toward Alzheimer's disease and cardiovascular conditions, leading him to begin taking statins. Ethicists noted that such data could be used against individuals by insurers or employers as sequencing becomes routine.
Venter predicted that within five years, 10,000 complete individual genomes could be sequenced affordably, laying the groundwork for research that could clarify which traits are inherited and which are shaped by environment.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in September 2007, in its own words.