Study: Humans’ DNA Varies More Than Once Believed
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People are less alike than scientists had thought when it comes to the billions of building blocks that make up each individual’s DNA, according to a new analysis.
“Instead of 99.9% identical, maybe we’re only 99% [alike],” said J. Craig Venter, an author of the study — and the person whose DNA was analyzed for it.
Several previous studies have argued for lowering the 99.9% estimate. Mr. Venter says this new analysis “proves the point.”
The new work, in the latest issue of PLoS Biology, marks the first time a scientific journal has presented the entire DNA makeup, or human genome, of an individual. The order of building blocks along a strand of DNA encodes genetic information, somewhat like the way a sequence of letters creates a sentence. Particular sequences form genes. Landmark studies published in 2001 indicated that the DNA of any two people is about 99.9% alike. The new paper suggests estimates of 99.5% to just 99 percent, Mr. Venter said.
