ANNUNCIATION

‘The Human Genome is the ‘Holy Grail’ of biology.’ Washington Post

‘I would say the Human Genome Project is probably more significant than splitting the atom or going to the moon. That sounds really audacious, doesn’t it? But I think history, when we look back in a hundred years, will agree with that conclusion. This is an adventure into ourselves, to read our own blueprint, the consequences of that, for our ability to understand health and disease, and a whole variety of other issues that relate to humanity are profound, so I don’t think it’s grandiose or overstated to claim this is the most significant organized scientific effort that humankind has ever mounted, bar none.’ Francis Collins, Head of US Human Genome Project, CNN, US

‘Coy Nature, / which remained, though aged grown,/ A Beauteous virgin still, injoy’d by none,/ Nor seen unveil’d by any one…’ Abraham Crowley, 1618-67, Ode upon Dr Harvey

‘We, the Heads of Government of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Japan, France, Germany and China, are proud to announce that scientists from our six countries have completed the essential sequence of three billion base pairs of DNA of the Human Genome, the molecular instruction book of human life…The International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium has completed decoding all the chapters of the instruction book of human life. This information is now freely available to the world without constraints via public databases on the World Wide Web.This genetic sequence provides us with the fundamental platform for understanding ourselves, from which revolutionary progress will be made in biomedical sciences and in the health and welfare of humankind. Thus, we take today an important step towards establishing a healthier future for all the peoples of the globe, for whom the human genome serves as a common inheritance. .. We congratulate all the people who participated in this project on their creativity and dedication. Their outstanding work will be noted in the history of science and technology, as well in the history of humankind, as a landmark achievement. We encourage the world to celebrate the scientific achievement of completing the Human Genome Project, and we exhort the scientific and medical communities to rededicate themselves to the utilization of these new discoveries to reduce human suffering.’ Statement, Heads of Government of Six Countries

‘…any scientist worth listening to must be something of a poet, must possess the ability to communicate to the rest of us his sense of love and wonder at what his work discovers.’ Edward Abbey, The Journey Home, 1977

‘Poetry is the language in which man explores his own amazement.’ Christopher Fry

“Today we celebrate the revelation of the first draft of the human book of life… it is humbling for me and awe inspiring to realise that we have caught the first glimpse of our own instruction book, previously known only to God,” Dr Francis Collins, Head of the Human Genome Project, main public US sequencing centre… “This is the outstanding achievement not only of our lifetime but in terms of human history,” Dr Michael Dexter, Director, Wellcome Trust, UK… “Today we are learning the language in which God created life…We are gaining ever more in awe for the complexity, the beauty, the wonder of God’s most divine and sacred gift,” Bill Cinton, US President…“Being able to read the Genome will tell us more about our origins, evolution, nature and our minds that all the efforts of science to date, and will revolutionise anthrogopogy, psychology, medicine, palaentology and virtually ever other science - it is the greatest intellectual monument in history,” Matt Ridley, Science Writer

“Today we hand over the gift of the human genome to the public. It is very fragile and beautiful and a powerful force for great good or great evil,” Dr Mike Stratton, Sanger Centre, UK…“Shivers ran down my spine because I realised that we were seeing human beings opened to investigation with a depth we’d never seen before,” David Baltimore, President, California Institute of Technology… “Today could well be regarded as one of the most significant days in human history… It’s better than the invention of the wheel, because technology could make that obsolete - the genome never will be,” Dr Mike Dexter, Director, The Wellcome Trust, UK…“Researchers will go on mining the data from the human genome for ever,’ Dr John Sulston, Head, UK Human Genome Project.

“It’s certainly the biggest thing to hit biology since Darwin - it’s probably the most important science project ever,” Professor Martin Bobrow… “The scientific breakthrough of the century - perhaps of all time,” Bill Clinton, US President… “In four billion years of evolution, we’ve never had the opportunity to contemplate the recipes of the strands of sequence that represent and encode all the functions that make us who we are… that will set the stage for medical research for the coming century,” Dr Hayden, Professor of Genetics, University of British Colombia…“We’ve now got to the point in human history where for the first time we are going to hold in our hands the set of instructions to make a human being. That is an incredible philosophical step forward, and will change, I think, the way we think of ourselves,” Dr John Sulston, Director, Sanger Centre, UK…”It’s the best effort that mortals can do with current technology.” Elbert Branscomb, Founding Director, Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek, US.

“The Human Genome project, the reading of the book of mankind, does have the potential to impact on the lives of every person on this planet,” Dr Michael Dexter, Director, The Wellcome Trust… “Let the scientists discover. That is what we are good at, that’s our job. Then we give the results to the public, to us all to discuss what should be done with them,” Sir John Sulston, Director, Wellcome Trust Sanger Centre… “What a profound responsibility it is to do this work. Historians will consider this a turning point,” Dr Francis Collins, Head, Human Genome Project, US… “Each of the 30,000-100,000 genes is like a verse of the bible,” UK scientist… “We are confirming Darwin, it’s great to be getting the molecular correlates of what Darwin hypothesised 150 years ago,” Sir John Sulston, Director, Wellcome Trust Sanger Centre… “The Human Genome Project is one of the great all-time achievements of UK science,” Lord Sainsbury of Turville, Minister for Science, UK… “The genome sequence will become one of the most valuable maps in the history of humankind,” Dr Michael Dexter, Director, Wellcome Trust, UK.

“The first great technological triumph of the 21st century,” Tony Blair, Prime Minister, UK… “I think we will view this period as a very historic time, a new starting point,” Dr Craig Venter, Celera Genomics, private US Human Genome sequencing company… “We share 51% of our genes with yeast and 98% with chimpanzees - it is not genetics that makes us human,” Dr Tom Shakespeare, University of Newcastle… “It represents an immense step forward for humanity in deciphering the make-up of life itself,” Yoshiro Mori, Prime Minister, Japan… “The deciphering of the book of life is a milestone in science,” Roger-Gerard Schwartzenberg, French Research Minister… “It will exist on the world’s computers for as long as we exist… it’s a project of truly biblical proportions,” Dr John Sulston, Head, UK Human Genome Project… “I’ve seen a lot of exciting biology emerge over the past 40 years. But chills still ran down my spine when I first read the paper that describes the outline of our genome…’ David Baltimore, President, California Institute of Technology… “I think of my little boy, Leo, growing up and learning and knowing things that his grandfather, after whom he was named, could not even have dreamt of. It is not like different generations but different eras of human existence,” Tony Blair, UK Prime Minister.

“Along with Bach’s music, Shakespeare’s sonnets, and the Apollo Space Programme, the Human Genome Project is one of those achievements of the human spirit that makes me proud to be human,” Richard Dawkins, Professor of the Public Understanding of Science, University of Oxford…”The most wondrous map ever produced by human kind,” Bill Clinton, US President… “I never thought it would be done as quickly as this,” Professor Fred Sanger, Co-inventor of DNA sequencing… “With this profound new knowledge, humankind is on the verge of gaining immense new power to heal. Genome science will have a real impact on all our lives, and even more on the lives of our children. It will revolutionize the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of most, if not all, human diseases,” Bill Clinton, US President… “Let us be in no doubt about what we are witnessing today; a revolution in medical science,” Tony Blair, UK Prime Minister.

‘The announcement of the first draft of the human genome was big news, with a packed press conference at the Wellcome Trust and a video link-up between Tony Blair and Bill Clinton. The press vied to outdo each other with their descriptions of the first draft.’ Wellcome Trust, UK

‘This is a sensational article. I am sorry. In these articles I try to keep to facts. But occasionally facts are sensational.’ JBS Haldane, Science, Peace and War, 1940

NEWSPAPER HEADLINES

‘THE BOOK OF LIFE’ The Times, UK
‘THE BOOK OF LIFE’ Financial Times, UK
‘THE BOOK OF LIFE’ The Observer, UK
‘THE STORY OF LIFE’ The Guardian, UK
‘It’s one small piece of man… one giant leap for mankind’ The Mirror, UK
‘Life’s Secret Manual’ Evening Standard, UK
‘Pure Genius’ Daily Express, UK
‘Joy as scientists crack DNA code of life’ The Mirror, UK
‘Gene code could beat all disease’ The Sun, UK
‘All human life is here’ The Telegraph, UK
‘Scientists revel in day of glory’ The Guardian, UK
‘The miraculous map of mankind’ Daily Mail, UK
‘Human Genome Almost Decoded.’ Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Germany

‘Press views of first draft - The Sunday Times took it just to be another pitstop in ‘The race for the Croesus code’, and argued: ‘What is at stake is the future of medicine, maybe even the future of social improvement via genetical modification of behaviour’… Prime Minister Tony Blair and President Bill Clinton entered the ‘Battle to control the human genome blueprint’ (The Times) when they called for all raw data on human genes to be made freely available to scientists everywhere. ‘Gene panic sparks slump’ wrote the Sunday Business as the share prices of Celera and other biotech companies plummeted. The Economist came to the defence of the private sector companies, describing them as ‘In-gene-uous’ and saying that ‘in genomics, the British and American governments are meddling in things that do not concern them’… The Blair/Clinton announcement was intended to ‘tell scientists to end the gene war’ (The Telegraph), but the media were not to be diverted. ‘DNA: It’s War’ headlined the Guardian Weekend’s profiles of Craig Venter and John Sulston…’Decoding the human genome will change the world. But it’s not just about science; it’s UK vs US; public spirit vs private enterprise. And it’s personal’. As journalists readied themselves for the announcement of the first draft of the human genome, The Telegraph asked two popular science writers, ‘Has the genome been overhyped?’; ‘Yes,’ said Steve Jones, ‘There’s more to life than chemistry.’ ‘No,’ countered Matt Ridley, ‘It really is a BIG DEAL.’ ‘Having the tools is one thing: knowing what to do with them is quite another,’ said the Express.’ Source, Wellcome Trust

WORLD NEWSPAPERS
‘This is a project more important than the splitting of the atom or landing on the Moon,’ Il Messaggero, Italy… ‘A unique historic event that marks a high point in the progress of mankind, a qualitative scientific leap forward that opens the door to revealing the mystery of life,’ Diario 16, Spain…‘It will no longer be science fiction to imagine technologies capable of preventing illnesses and curing, even before birth, genetic malformations,’ Il Messaggero, Italy… ‘The completion of a veritable Apollo-style programme in biology,’ Le Figaro, France…’The most significant scientific achievement in years,’ United Daily News, Taiwan. .. ‘The mapping of the genome is just the beginning. Now comes the difficult part: putting the genome to work,’ New York Times…’The discovery will not just change medicine but all fields of society and they will demand that we answer ethical questions of a so far unimaginably explosive force…To what extent can people afford to prolong life expectancy on the already over-populated planet Earth?’ Die Welt, Germany:.. “It would be fatal if private companies were allowed to claim exclusive rights to any of the code. Human genes must not become an object that is open to market speculation just like shares.’ Suddeutsche Zeitung, Germany

Human Genome – Annunciation (1)

There are trumpets in today’s loud sunshine,
daffodils prooting annunciation of spring -

bright yellow voices chattering, giggling
in fingery wind, squeakily stiff on parade,

herald duties; funsters attempting seriousness.
Big news to Earth’s creatures is coming – but

this time beyond seasonal warming of soil
molecules, limbering roots, imploded seed

DNA. They are more than first sparks, bright-
minted yellow rusting, rustling into summer –

listen - whispering, nervous joy - like excited children
in the wings before a play, exuberance only just bound

by green wires tying yellow floral ribbons to the earth,
because knowledge has returned - so ancient, language

is being dragged semi-comatose from poetry, religion,
history; everywhere half-buried that has skills enough,

resonance for appropriate capture, means of expression.
They are aghast, open-mouthed at blue opening above -

that great sky maw voicing one articulate blue thought,
mightily simple, yet magnificent - written among stars;

self-dazzling, grinning, just rubbing cheek to cheek -
dainty air-kissing like posh Englishwomen at parties

you want to grab, plant a smacker, proper kiss
on pursed lips, grasping limpfish fingers firmly,

smudging lipstick for a shower of honest pollen -
like gold DNA daffodil-dust from sweet tongues.

It’s a rollicking song - the song of daffodils bursting
jauntily from flagpole green; a tuned choir of season,

temperature, youthful light, warm rainwater opening
soprano mouths - always a dramatic announcement -

they understand symbolism’s urgency, evolved message,
ruthless beauty - each frill is an elaboration of centuries.

How many millennia practising, beginning as gold
embers cooling from the first high fires of creation;

this knowledge was written also in the hearts of daffodils -
flowers wrapped deep and careful in tissued brown globes,

in darkness between original stars; light smelted into earth,
charged in dark, bulb hearts, switches tripped every spring –

organic bottled light that would one day illuminate blue;
yellow herald mouths today gossiping and proclaiming.