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BOB HIRSHON (host):
Data mining the genome. I’m Bob Hirshon and this is Science Update.
As many as a million people have had their genomes sequenced, and a billion could join them in the next decade. Princeton statistical geneticist John Story says that hidden in all that data is the detailed history of humankind, the deep ancestry of each individual, and clues into the causes of countless disorders.
JOHN STOREY ( Princeton University):
The more we understand the variation of our genome, the more we can take an individual specific genome and inform that individual about their disease susceptibilities.
HIRSHON:
But how do you analyze such an enormous dataset? In the journal Nature Genetics, Storey and Columbia computer scientist David Blei describe an algorithm called TeraStructure that can rapidly reveal patterns within a million or more genomes. Their goal is a tool that can unlock the secrets of a rapidly growing treasure trove of human genetic data. I’m Bob Hirshon, for AAAS, the science society.
Story by Bob Hirshon