States and UTs asked to step up Genome Sequencing

About Genome:

• A genome is an organism’s complete set of DNA, including all of its genes.
• Each genome contains all of the information needed to build and maintain that organism.
• In humans, a copy of the entire genome—more than 3 billion DNA base pairs—is contained in all cells that have a nucleus.

Genome Sequencing:

• Genome sequencing is figuring out the order of DNA nucleotides, or bases, in a genome—the order of As, Cs, Gs, and Ts that make up an organism’s DNA.
• The human genome is made up of over 3 billion of these genetic letters.
• In more simple terms, Sequencing a gene is like reading a book one letter at a time to look for any spelling mistakes.
• Whole genome sequencing (WGS) is the equivalent of running spellcheck on every volume in a library.

Applications:

• Tackling Human Disease
• Uncovering the secrets of our past
• Learning about the science behind ancient medicine
• Conserving our wildlife.

Q1) What is DNA?

DNA is a long molecule containing instructions for making all the proteins in our bodies. It is composed of two strands that wrap around each other forming a double helix shape. Each strand of DNA is formed of four basic building blocks or ‘bases’: adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G) and thymine (T). The order, or sequence, of these bases determines our unique genetic code.

Source: Centre asks States & UTs to step-up genome sequencing as Covid cases surge globally 

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