Gorillas, Watermelons and Sperm: The Greatest Genomes Sequenced In 2012

In the 10 years since the complete human genome was published, molecular biologists have been hard at work unraveling the genomic codes of multitudes of life forms. What stands out, time and again, is how much all life shares in common, and how complex everything is. Did you know the domesticated watermelon has about as many genes as you do?

In 2012, genome researchers sequenced the DNA of an unborn human baby, the western lowland gorilla, fruits and grains, and livestock.

 

2025 PopSci Best of What’s New

The 50 most important innovations of the year

See it