Decoding human genes is the goal of a new open-source encyclopedia
A massive database cataloging the human genome's functional elements -- including genes, RNA transcripts and other products -- is being made available as an open resource to the scientific community, classrooms, science writers and the public, thanks to an international team of researchers. In a paper published in the journal PLoS Biology on April 19, the project -- called ENCODE (Encyclopedia Of DNA Elements) -- provides an overview of the team's ongoing efforts to interpret the human genome sequence, as well as a guide for using the vast amounts of data and resources produced so far by the project. (more)