Mooney helps readers explore the discoveries scientists have made about the human genome. These discoveries help us better understand and treat certain diseases, trace our human ancestry and migration, and compare our species to others. She also explores some of the ethical, legal, and social issues that arise from advances in genomic science.

The Human Genome Project was a groundbreaking, life-altering development of the late 20th century and a major evolution in science and medicine. Readers of this volume will follow the scientists of the international, collaborative research program as they map the human genome, learning about the science behind the project as well as the scientific and medical possibilities opened by it.