![]() By comparing the myriad changes, we can fill in gaps to help treat those of different ancestry who are prone to certain conditions. This burgeoning genetic library will represent genomes across Homo sapiens so that we may better understand genetic variation among ourselves. Darryl Leja, NHGRI What is the pangenome? The new pangenome reference is a collection of different genomes from which to compare an individual genome sequence. Their work offers a starting point for comparing genetic variation so that we may better understand how genes vary and mutate across our species. Published today in the journal Nature, with authors from Canada, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, the UAE, the UK, and the US, researchers created what they are calling the human pangenome reference consortium, a collection of sequenced human genomes that aims to eventually represent as many possible DNA sequences found across our species. Now, swaths of researchers around the world have been working to dive into that remaining, highly variable part of human DNA. Two decades later, scientists are still trying to unpack how that 0.4 percent influences us. That tiny fraction is also likely responsible for many diseases and conditions. Among the many things they discovered was that while any two humans have 99.6 percent of their genome in common, the remaining 0.4 percent leaves plenty of room for variation. Twenty years ago last month, scientists sequenced the first human genome in the landmark Human Genome Project.
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