世界中の数千人もの科学者が関わった「ヒトゲノム計画」は、13年もの歳月をかけてヒトのゲノムの全塩基配列の解析を完了しました。これによって健康や病気に対する理解が進展し、オーダーメイド医療なる概念も登場しています。生命科学の中でも発展目覚ましいこの分野の研究成果は、薬学や法医学の発展にも大きく寄与しています。そうしたゲノミクスの進展によるさまざまな影響、健康・プライバシー面の問題なども取り上げます。(cf. Genomics and Personalized Medicine: What Everyone Needs to Know)
 

• Explores the science of genomics and its rapidly expanding toolbox, and discusses its impact on epidemiology, medicine, evolution and forensics
• Considers the implications of fast, cheap human genome sequencing for our health and privacy
• Describes how genomics has changed our approach to the biological sciences, and vastly increased our understanding of the natural world

 
Genomics has transformed the biological sciences. From epidemiology and medicine to evolution and forensics, the ability to determine an organism's complete genetic makeup has changed the way science is done and the questions that can be asked of it. Its most celebrated achievement was the Human Genome Project, a technologically challenging endeavor that took thousands of scientists around the world 13 years and over 3 billion US dollars to complete. 

In this Very Short Introduction John Archibald explores the science of genomics and its rapidly expanding toolbox. Sequencing a human genome now takes only a few days and costs as little as $1,000. The genomes of simple bacteria and viruses can be sequenced in a matter of hours on a device that fits in the palm of your hand. The resulting sequences can be used to better understand our biology in health and disease and to 'personalize' medicine. Archibald shows how the field of genomics is on the cusp of another quantum leap; the implications for science and society are profound.