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What can be learned from sequencing DNA?
The sequence tells scientists the kind of genetic information that is carried in a particular DNA segment. For example, scientists can use sequence information to determine which stretches of DNA contain genes and which stretches carry regulatory instructions, turning genes on or off.
What are the benefits of knowing a DNA sequence?
For people experiencing a health-impacting condition, DNA sequencing can provide a precise diagnosis which might affect the medical management of symptoms, or provide treatment options. Another advantage of genome sequencing is that information regarding drug efficacy or adverse effects of drug use can be obtained.
What is the most important benefit of understanding DNA?
Understanding the structure and function of DNA has helped revolutionise the investigation of disease pathways, assess an individual’s genetic susceptibility to specific diseases, diagnose genetic disorders, and formulate new drugs. It is also critical to the identification of pathogens.
Why do people get their DNA sequenced?
In medicine, DNA sequencing is used for a range of purposes, including diagnosis and treatment of diseases. In general, sequencing allows health care practitioners to determine if a gene or the region that regulates a gene contains changes, called variants or mutations, that are linked to a disorder.
Has our knowledge of DNA benefited society?
The discovery of DNA has radically changed the way we breed and utilise crops and the means by which we recognise and protect our plant biodiversity. It has accelerated our ability to breed crops with desirable traits such as disease resistance, cold and drought tolerance.
What can DNA tell you about a person?
Examination of DNA variations can provide clues about where a person’s ancestors might have come from and about relationships between families. Certain patterns of genetic variation are often shared among people of particular backgrounds.
How unique are my genetics?
Human DNA is 99.9\% identical from person to person. Although 0.1\% difference doesn’t sound like a lot, it actually represents millions of different locations within the genome where variation can occur, equating to a breathtakingly large number of potentially unique DNA sequences.
How is DNA used in real life?
DNA testing can also be used to identify pathogens, identify biological remains in archaeological digs, trace disease outbreaks, and study human migration patterns. In the medical field, DNA is used in diagnostics, new vaccine development, and cancer therapy.
What is unique about human DNA?
The study researchers also found that the portion of DNA that’s unique to modern humans is enriched for genes involved with brain development and brain function. This finding suggests that genes for brain development and function are what really set us apart, genetically, from our ancestors.