Part 2. Human genome project.
A. Keywords.

human genome project, DNA, sequence, inherited disease, genetic traits, genetic map.
Vocabulary.

genome, map, chromosome, rung, makeup, amplify, warfare.
In this section, you're going to learn something about the human genome project.Listen carefully, and complete the outline.
The goal of the human genome project initiated in the early 1990s is to identify, catalog, map and analyze every one of the estimated 100,000 genes in the human body.
If the multi-billion dollar project is successful, its effects may be as fundamental to the human future as the discovery of fire and seed agriculture once were.
To understand the significance of the human genome project, it's necessary to know that each gene is a piece of DNA, the basic molecule of life.
Genes are located on chromosomes that in turn reside in every cell in arrangements similar to the alternately colored rungs on a ladder.
The sequence of the genetic rungs produces the chemical instructions that cells need in order to build and run the human body.
By identifying the location and makeup of each gene, the genome project should help scientists cure or prevent many inherited diseases and possibly amplify desirable genetic traits in future generations.
Some scientists hope that a genetic map also will solve many mysteries of the brain, consciousness and the mind, and possibly lead to a scientific description of human nature itself.
Others warn about potential abuse of this power, for profit or warfare, for example.
With massive international government and private support of the human genome project, its work may be complete within the next five years.