Genome
A genome is all the hereditary information held by an organism, this includes both expressed and non-expressed genetic information. It is usually stored in DNA though the Retrovirus stores it in RNA.
Eukaryotes (including humans) actually have two types of genomic material:
- chromosonal material: Information found inside the nucleus of a cell
- mitochondrial material: Information found inside a cytoplasm of a cell, specifically in the mitochondria (this separate genome is used as evidence for the Endosymbiotic hypothesis).[1]
The Human Genome Project mapped the genome of humans (Homo sapiens) in a 13-year study, and is considered one of the marvels of modern human medicine and biology. All of the information is stored in a database.[2] It is expected that the results of the project will allow scientists to predict how genetics influences drug interaction with the body, and lead to target specific drugs.[3]
Genomes of other species have been recorded as well, such as mice,[4] chimpanzees[5] and yeast.[6]