YouTube Saturday - The Story of You

Scientists are getting closer to fully understanding the complexity of the human genome or genetic code, finding out how DNA carries instructions for making the building blocks of our bodies and on how to put them together. It is now over 10 years since the human genome was sequenced for the first time and scientists are still trying to interpret how the complex 3 billion letter code actually works. 

Now a new project called  ENCODE, which stands for the Encyclopaedia of DNA Elements, is set on  identifying all the important regions of the human genome. ENCODE allows scientists share their work to help find out what each region of the sequence does. Already, we know that 80% of the human genome has a specific function - much higher than what was originally thought. The excellent video below outlines how our knowledge of DNA, genetics and the human genome have evolved over the past hundred years or so and how ENCODE can help solve the puzzle. The video is narrated by science enthusiast and comedian / musician Tim Minchin. Thanks to Aoife McLysaght for sharing the video on Twitter earlier this week.