Some believe it could even lengthen the human lifespan, by a decade or more and make old age more active and enjoyable.

ECONOMIST: Peering into your medical future is risky

All that says is that any one bit of DNA is going to have something bound to it at some point in some cell in the human body, or may even be transcribed.

FORBES: Arguing Over Junk: Scientists Attack Each Other as Media Flub 'DNA Story of the Year'

"Even with severe brain injury, some qualities of the human existence are preserved and we should always treat patients with dignity, " Hanley said.

CNN: Sharon brain results not proof he'll wake up

Even the best mechanics will make some mistakes (they are human), but for most of us they still have a better chance of getting our cars to work than doing it ourselves.

FORBES: The Soft Power of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

Experimenting recently with even longer exposure times, Mr Struth has made some of his human subjects appear poignantly as blurry ghosts.

ECONOMIST: New German photography

All the rows, all the ethical problems and all the money spent in pursuing the human code for life will have been well worth it if it fulfils even some of its medical promise.

BBC: What the genome can do for you

Scientists and even some anti-abortion rights Republicans are urging the president to finance experiments on stem cells from human embryos, charging the research could lead to revolutionary treatments for diseases such as Parkinson's, diabetes and some forms of cancer.

CNN: Bush said to be 'struggling' with stem cell decision