Shyam Bishen, Lucy Perez, Cuilin Zhang and Chong Yap-Seng
January 7, 2026
New Pangenome To Include More Genetic Diversity
The original human genome was released in 2003. It’s a complete map of the building blocks of our DNA. But 70% of the genome came from just one donor, an American man with European and African ancestry. The new ‘pangenome’ is drawn from 47 anonymous individuals. From every continent except Antarctica and Oceania.
Scientists have updated the human genome to make it more diverse. This will help us better understand the genetics behind diseases.
Original human genome
The original human genome was released in 2003. It is a complete map of the building blocks of our DNA. However, 70% of the genome came from just one donor, an American man with European and African ancestry.
New pangenome
The new ‘pangenome’ is drawn from 47 anonymous individuals from every continent except Antarctica and Oceania. Half have sub-Saharan African ancestry; a third are from the Americas, and 13% are from China. Genetic diversity is highest in sub-Saharan Africa, so it is important to include more donors from there.
The first draft of the genome launched a new era in scientific discovery and medical innovation. The latest draft will let scientists study a digital amalgamation of different genomes to see how genetic variation impacts health and disease.
The Pangenome project is still ongoing. Researchers aim to include 350 people by 2024.
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