CNN.com international，2006年5月18日掲載から抜粋．インターネットの記事を楽しむ．

Last chromosome in human genome sequenced

LONDON, England (Reuters) -- Scientists have reached a landmark point in one of the world's 
most important scientific projects by sequencing the last chromosome in the Human Genome, 
the so-called "book of life".

Chromosome 1 contains nearly twice as many genes as the average chromosome and makes up eight 
percent of the human genetic code.

It is packed with 3,141 genes and linked to 350 illnesses including cancer, Alzheimer's and 
Parkinson's disease.

"This achievement effectively closes the book on an important volume of the Human Genome 
Project," said Dr Simon Gregory who headed the sequencing project at the Sanger Institute 
in England.

The project was started in 1990 to identify the genes and DNA sequences that provide a blueprint 
for human beings.

Chromosome 1 is the biggest and contains, per chromosome, the greatest number of genes.

"Therefore it is the region of the genome to which the greatest number of diseases have been 
localized," added Gregory, from Duke University in the United States.

The sequence of chromosome 1, which is published online by the journal Nature, took a team of 
150 British and American scientists 10 years to complete.

Researchers around the world will be able to mine the data to improve diagnostics and treatments 
for cancers, autism, mental disorders and other illnesses.

Final chapter
Chromosomes, which are found in the nucleus of a cell, are thread-like structures that contain 
genes which determine the characteristics of an individual,