Lecture 1: Reading Genes and Genomes
by Eric S. Lander, Ph.D.
Play Lecture One in Full
Introduction by HHMI President Dr. Thomas Cech
Introductory interview with Dr. Eric Lander
Geneticists are interested in human variation
Roots of genetics in the age of exploration
Gregor Mendel's original study and its rediscovery in 1900
Genetic advances in the 20th century reviewed
The genome as nature's experimental notes
Reading DNA helps us understand disease
Methods of finding disease genes by tracing lineage and chromosome walking
Genetic basis of cystic fibrosis
The origin and goal of the Human Genome Project
Demonstration: The '80s way of sequencing DNA
Video: Today's way of sequencing DNA
The human genome sequencing timeline
The mouse genome sequenced
Q&A: Does "junk" DNA cause problems in interpreting the genome?
Q&A: Are most diseases caused by small changes in DNA?
Q&A: Do genes involved in the same disease have the same promoter?
Q&A: Could you talk about gene therapy?
Q&A: What ethical problems do you run into?
How big is the human genome?
Video: New York's fifth Avenue as the human genome
Finding genes in the genome
Distribution of genes in the human genome
The human genome has surprisingly few genes
Are vertebrate genes different from other species' genes?
Many vertebrate genes arose from gene duplication followed by variation
Human and mouse comparisons: The mouse as a model for humans
Human and mouse comparisons: Genomic similarities
Human and mouse comparisons: Finding conserved sequences
Challenges of today and challenges of the future
Q&A: What is currently being done to figure out noncoding DNA?
Q&A: How do you prevent the symptoms of the disease PKU?
Q&A: How would you identify nondisease traits?
Q&A: Is it possible to treat genetic diseases with proteins?
Closing remarks by HHMI President Dr. Thomas Cech