Any ordered pair of bases makes a sequence. Sequences are the instructions that produce molecules and proteins for cellular structure and biochemical functions. A marker is any location on a chromosome where inheritance can be identified and tracked. Markers can be expressed areas of genes (DNA) or some segment of DNA with no known coding function but an inheritance can still be traced. It is these markers that are used to do genetic mapping. By the use of genetic mapping, isolated areas of DNA are used to find if a person has a specific trait, inherent factor, or any other numerous genetic qualities. .
"Research and technology efforts aimed at mapping and sequencing large portions or entire genomes are called Genome projects"(Congress, 202). Genome projects are not the effort of a single organization, but instead are groups of organizations working in government and private industry throughout the world. The controversies surrounding the Human Genome Project can be better explained by explaining the structural and moral aspects of the project. .
Begun in 1990, the US Human Genome Project is a 15-year effort coordinated by the US Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health. It's purposes are to identify all the estimated 80,000 genes in human DNA, determine the sequences of the 3 billion chemical bases that make up human DNA, store this information in databases, and develop tools for data analysis. The objectives of the Human Genome Project are carried out by organizations such as the National Institutes of Health, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and various other private organizations. These organizations all have two shared objectives, placing "new methods and instruments into the tool-kit of molecular biology" and "building research infrastructure for genetics"(Murphy, 17). Any attempt to resolve moral issues involving new information from the Human Genome Project requires direct, clear, and total understanding of common morality.