How big is the human genome? We barely fit 1/1000 of the human genome sequence typed out on a hallway wall near my office @genome_gov! Take a look at the video and see what I mean.

Since I told you last week about our new family cat, Bruno, it only seems fair that I give a shout out to our other cats, Sophie and Starbright! They seem to love sleep and food more than I do…

This helpful infographic from @genome_gov explains the challenges of sequencing highly repetitive DNA and the technological advances that were needed to generate the first truly complete (gapless) human genome sequence. I encourage you to check it out!

In 1997 and in the middle of the Human Genome Project, my laboratory discovered the gene that was mutated in a syndromic form of hereditary deafness called Pendred syndrome. This was one of the most gratifying scientific accomplishments of my research career. #ThrowbackThursday

Happy #WildlifeWednesday! Here is a photograph that I took of a Royal tern that was truly majestic while flying along with beach in Marco Island several years ago!

I am happy to introduce you to the newest member of our family, Bruno Green! Bruno adopted us after being lost in the wild for at least a year. He has since doubled his weight and is now a very healthy young cat. Bruno will soon be traveling to Atlanta to live with my son, Josh!

An important priority is to establish how best to measure, integrate, and analyze data about environmental and social factors that influence health and disease. I encourage you to learn more in our talking glossary of genomic and genetic terms!

These non-genomic factors need to be taken into consideration when performing genetics and genomics research.

Environmental factors (such as where we live and work, our diet and exercise, our social context, and life experiences – positive and negative) can influence a person’s traits, including the risk of disease.

A common misconception about genomics and genetics is that the genome determines everything in biology. But biology is not about DNA alone! Most phenotypes, or traits, are a result of complex interactions that involve the genome in addition to social and environmental influences.

For making physical maps of human chromosomes (like that shown in the photograph) during the Human Genome Project, we used many three-letter acronyms for our work: DNA clones called YACs, DNA landmarks called STSs, and lots of PCR to figure out which YACs contain which STSs.

This photograph is of me at the midpoint of the Human Genome Project, as my research group was working feverishly to build a physical map of human chromosome 7. The stress of genomic advances had not yet turned my hair grey… that would come later.

Happy #WildlifeWednesday! To commemorate last week’s @agtbt Meeting, here is a photograph that I took of an Marco Island Eastern Brown Pelican at mid-gulp with a large haul of food! I captured this photograph several years ago at an AGBT meeting.

I encourage you to regularly explore this educational resource here:.

NHGRI recently added some new terms to our Talking Glossary of Genomic and Genetic Terms! This incredible electronic resource contains hundreds of genomic and genetic terms -- with definitions, audio narrations by NHGRI leaders, and amazing graphics!.

The annual AGBT meetings in Florida are first rate because of the productive partnerships involving many parts of the broader genomics ecosystem, including many who are generous with their support in sponsoring such annual gatherings!.

Congratulations to the Advances in Genome Biology and Technology (AGBT) Meeting for last week’s 25th anniversary meeting in Marco Island, Florida! I have been honored to be the meeting’s program committee co-chair since the early 2000s.

Learn more about DNA shotgun sequencing in our Talking Glossary of Genetic and Genomic Terms:

Then, reconstructing the entire text on the starting page by reading those shreds of paper!.

Think of shotgun DNA sequencing as taking a page in a book, making hundreds of copies of it, and taking those copies and putting them in a paper shredder that creates strips of paper that contain various bits and pieces of the original text from the starting page.

A computer program looks for overlaps in the DNA sequences and uses those overlaps to reassemble the sequences to deduce the overall genome sequence.