Scientists at Celera Genomics (USA) announced last week that the Drosophila melanogaster genome seems 'significantly larger' than previous estimates. They suggest that this may be the case with the current estimate of 3 billion base-pairs for the human genome which may have to be readjusted to as many as 4 billion. This may have 'important ramifications for work on the human genome', they point out. But Mark Guyer at the US National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) said the number for the human genome has always been an estimate and that researchers still hoped to deliver a working draft of at least 90 per cent of the human genome by next spring. NHGRI is part of the international human genome project. Craig Venter, head of Celera, had estimated that Drosophila sequencing would be complete in July but now completion is expected in September, when the company will start sequencing the human genome on its own.
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