Craig Venter published his genome sequence in the journal PLoS Biology today, with a self-portrait so large that this startled reader recoiled in fright.
Sheesh. Science should be soothing...first you read the abstract, then the introduction, the methods, results, discussion...No unassuming reader seeking to understand science's exploration of the newest frontiers, for the greater good, should ever be confronted with SO MANY individual facial hairs, in such...lewd...detail.
The published sequence is diploid, both his mother's and father's contributions to his genome. The sequence may seem familiar, because Venter contributed his DNA to the first composite sequencing human genome effort made by Celera (his company, which is also behind the current effort). That team published those results in 2001, with his genome making 60% of the total contribution. According to the Financial Times, Venter is predisposed to "novelty-seeking behaviour and a preference for evening rather than morning activity". News you can use.
Both PLoS Biology and the author stress that individual human traits are each influenced by many genes. The PLoS paper concludes that human-to-human sequence variation is five- to seven-fold greater than earlier estimates, which proves that we are in fact more unique at the individual genetic level than we thought.
Good enough. Maybe next time though, along with DNA composites, a composite photo? Perhaps? To display your essential humanity?
