| MadSci Network: Genetics |
The Human Genome Project has a web page and a newsletter that goes out. You may want to visit their site. It includes information on public lectures and classes for researchers, teachers, and the general public. Human Genome
I'll quickly answer your questions, but you may want to refer to the Human Genome Website for more information. They have (depending on what researcher you talk to) come within 75%- 85% or more of mapping the genome. Sequencing is also going well, but new technology is still needed. There are many interesting books coming out about the sequencing and what is happening. You may also want to check these out from your library or purchase from bookstores. It is a very fascinating collaboration of some of the finest minds of our century. An interesting short story can be found in the book "Mapping the Next Millennium" by Stephen S. Hall.
Watson writes there are about 3 billion base pairs in the Human Genome and the Human Genome Projects says they are going to locate about 100,000 genes. My guess is that you could expect those numbers to change as we get closer to analyzing the results from the sequencing of the human genome.
Junk DNA isn't junk any more. The reason for so much DNA is still a lively area of investigation. This is what Watson says from his book "Recombinant DNA." There are about 1,000 measurable units of DNA. "It is clear that in many cases the total amount of DNA does not reflect the number of different genes in a species. This excess has been called "junk" DNA and for some sequences, for example, those of psuedogenes do appear to be just that. However we cannot assume that this to be just that just because we have not discovered its functions." Scientist have found functions for the extra DNA. I expect that, as we understand more about the genome, we will understand more about why we have so much DNA. As a teacher I don't use the term junk anymore.