The main topic of Dr. Dunston’s lecture was about the human genome project and how it relates to Howard. Dr. Dunston started her lecture by talking about how the human genome project is the discovery life. The human genome project involves scientists that are sequencing all the DNA of humans. By sequencing the entire human genome this allows doctors and others in the health profession to better treat patients and it also opens up an endless number of scientific advances that can be made. Sequencing the human genome also allows us to have a better understanding of our ancestors and how we have evolved as humans. Dr. Duston said so eloquently, “The human genome project is history being unfolded in the language of the genome”. It is a well-known fact that the origins of human kind lead back to Africa and as Africans we must take part in this historic moment. A portion of the human genome project is actually taking place at the Howard University College of Medicine. Scientists are sequencing the genome of Africans. Throughout the lecture Dr. Dunston urged for us to get involved in the “discovery of life” and she mentioned how we must take advantage of the fact that the DNA sequencing of Africans is actually occurring at our own university. Some interesting facts that I learned from Dr. Dunston is that less than 1/10 of 1% of our DNA defines our ethnicity and that less than 2% of our DNA makes all our external and internal parts of our body. Overall, I enjoyed Dr. Dunston’s lecture. Microbiology is one of my favorite subjects, so it was very exciting to hear Dr. Dunston speak about the human genome.
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