Human Genome more Variable than Previously Thought

The Globe and Mail reports on a new study showing that "more DNA differences exist between people than the experts expected." Additionally, the researchers found that "while people do indeed inherit one chromosome from each parent, they do not necessarily inherit one gene from mom and another from dad."

"We have to think of genetics in an entirely different way. We're actually more like a patchwork of genetic code than bar codes that line up evenly," Dr. Scherer said. "Everything we've been taught is different now."

The study, conducted by Canadian, British, American, and Japanese researchers, was published today by the journal Nature. It also made headlines in The Times Online (where it is accompanied with a nice explanatory graphic).

Also see:
CBC News
BBC News
National Geographic News

Photo caption from National Geographic News:

A new DNA study has revealed that humans show much more genetic variation than was previously believed. Scientists studying how large chunks of DNA differ among individuals found large changes in 12 percent of the human genome.

Here, superimposed profiles of different human genomes reveal the magnitude of differences, with green segments showing DNA gains, red areas representing losses, and yellow portions indicating no difference.

Image courtesy Matthew Hurles/Nature