A more refined analysis of the human genome, or book of life, shows people have fewer genes than previously thought, an international team of scientists said on Wednesday. Instead of 100,000 genes, the initial estimate, scientists working on the Human Genome Project, a publicly funded collaboration of scientists from 20 institutions in the United States, Europe and Asia, have reduced the number to 20,000-25,000. "Only a decade ago, most scientists thought humans had about 100,000 genes. When we analyzed the working draft of the human genome sequence three years ago, we estimated there were about 30,000 to 35,000 genes, which surprised many," said Francis Collins, the director of the US National Human Genome Research Institute in Bethesda, Maryland. "This new analysis reduces that number even further and provides us with the clearest picture yet of our genome," he added in a statement. By identifying genes in humans and what they do, scientists hope to accelerate the diagnosis and treatment of diseases and to find preventions and cures. Ultimately researchers hope to compile a complete list of all human genes and their related proteins to aid scientists in biomedical research. --More 2206 Local Time 1906 GMT
