The dubious consent question at the heart of the Human Genome Project

By Emily Kwong,

Berly McCoy, Rebecca Ramirez

Published July 15, 2024 at 9:57 AM EDT

Launched in 1990, a major goal of the Human Genome Project was to sequence the human genome as fully as possible. In 2003, project scientists unveiled a genome sequence that accounted for over 90% of the human genome — as complete as possible for the technology of the time.

The Human Genome Project was a massive undertaking that took more than a decade and billions of dollars to complete. For it, scientists collected DNA samples from anonymous volunteers who were told the final project would be a mosaic of DNA. Instead, over two-thirds of the DNA comes from one person: RP11. No one ever told him. Science journalist Ashley Smart talks to host Emily Kwong about his recent investigation into the decision to make RP11 the major donor — and why unearthing this history matters to genetics today.

Read Ashley's full article in Undark Magazine here.

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Today's episode was produced by Berly McCoy and edited by Rebecca Ramirez. They both checked the facts. Kwesi Lee was the audio engineer.