First human ‘pangenome’ aims to catalogue genetic diversity

More than 20 years after the first draft genome from the landmark Human Genome Project was released, researchers have published a draft human ‘pangenome’ — a snapshot of what is poised to become a new reference for genetic research that captures more of human diversity than has been previously available. Geneticists have welcomed the milestone, while also highlighting key ethical considerations surrounding the effort to make genome research more inclusive.

“This is like going from black-and-white television to 1080p,” says Keolu Fox, a genome scientist at the University of California, San Diego.