Sex and gender are multifaceted and variable — and not as binary as researchers once thought. While genomics has provided much insight into our understanding of human biology, it has also been misused to support inaccurate claims about people in sexual and gender minority groups. What do we know about sex and gender with our knowledge of genomics and how has that changed?

When Human Genome Project researchers announced that they had successfully completed sequencing the human genome, it was only about 92% complete. There were still hundreds of gaps or missing DNA sequences. Why was it so difficult to complete the sequence? Let’s break it down! Quick refresher: DNA strands are made up of chemical units called nucleotide bases. These are adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G) and thymine (T). Your body reads the order of these letters to determine the info in the strand, just as you read a word to determine its meaning!

Eugenics is an immoral and inaccurate theory that the genomics community is continuously working to debunk. Let’s break down how it came to be in the first place. (Thread) An English statistician, demographer and ethnologist named Francis Galton coined the term “eugenics” in 1883. He defined it as “the study of agencies under social control that may improve or impair the racial equalities of future generations either physically or mentally.”

In the U.S, there are many cost-effective and minimal-risk options for prenatal genetic screening. These tests are important for parents to be able to make their own reproductive choices or to be more prepared for the specific care their child may need. The goal of genetic screening is for people - whether they are making a reproductive choice or living with a health condition- to have freer, more independent and fulfilling lives.

Scientists in the Telomere-to-Telomere (#T2T) consortium have published the first complete, gapless human genome sequence. This can lead to a better understanding of our genomic variations and provide insight for missing heritability and human disease. genome.gov/T2T Scientists from all over the world worked to complete the project, including many early-career researchers and trainees! Some of these incredible researchers include:
@HHMINEWS @UCBerkeley @epitopic @roneilllab @uconnresearch @UCDavisNews @ucsc @ucscgenomics @UK_Muenster

We are so glad you asked!! First off, your middle schooler sounds really cool, and they have good taste in interests. We have a lot of great resources to help them learn more about all kinds of genomics topics, and we work hard to make them easy to read and enjoyable! (Thread)

https://twitter.com/AwbreyAngela/status/1502318639646752772

To start, we have a fact sheet that can give them the basics of DNA, genomics, genetics, sequencing and the Human Genome Project. They might already know the basics, but it can also be a good guide/reference to go back to whenever you need it! go.usa.gov/xz58G

When Human Genome Project researchers announced they had successfully completed sequencing the human genome, it was only about 92% complete. There were still hundreds of gaps or missing DNA sequences. Why was it so difficult to complete the sequence? Let’s break it down! #T2T A quick refresher: DNA strands are made up of chemical units called nucleotide bases. These are adenine (A),cytosine (C), guanine (G) and thymine (T). Your body reads the order of these letters to determine the info in the strand, just as you read a word to determine its meaning!