CHAPTER 1 The World of Computers
The Human Genome and Supercomputers An international research effort to characterize the genomes of human organisms through the complete mapping and sequencing of their DNA has created an important genetic database. The database has the potential to vastly improve human health and the prospects for long life. The results of this project, called the Human Genome Project, are made to order for supercomputers. IBM is developing a supercomputer that when completed will be capable of 7.5 trillion calculations per second, about five times that of the largest commercial supercomputer. Ultimately, scientists will be able to query the genome database via the Internet.