Tested on the book of life: Controlling the human genome
The completion, or near completion, of the human genome project was announced with expressions of Promethean awe. The New York Times called the feat “a pinnacle of human self-knowledge.” Other commentators referred to the new knowledge as the “Book of Life.” President Clinton said mapping the body’s sequence of genes was like “learning the language of God.” And Dr. Francis Collins, who headed the U.S. government side of the project, said possessing the genetic code was like obtaining “God’s instruction book” for humanity.