Venter's Bold Venture

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Then the real work begins. Using new software developed by TIGR scientists, Venter's team will begin solving the world's biggest jigsaw puzzle: reassembling those millions of pieces into a coherent whole. It's a daunting task, and some scientists have grave doubts about whether Venter can do it.

At last week's congressional hearing, called to weigh the impact of Venter's venture on the Genome Project, Washington University geneticist Maynard Olson predicted that the Venter map will have more than 100,000 "serious gaps"--regions where the fragments are improperly aligned. "Yes, you'll get a holey map," agrees Rockefeller University professor Norton Zinder, who was chair of the first Genome Project advisory committee. "But we will fill the holes." He anticipates substantial benefits from Venter's plan. "Craig," he says, "has jump-started the sequencing."

Venter exudes confidence and points to TIGR's track record. Using the shotgun approach, his company has already sequenced the DNA of seven microorganisms, including the bacterium that causes ulcers. That number, he notes, represents half of all the genomes decoded to date. "The [human] genome will be accurately and completely covered," Venter promised the science subcommittee last week. And as proof he promised to sequence the genome of the fruit fly (which is far more complex than those of bacteria) within a year.

Late last week, his testimony completed, Craig Venter packed his gear, boarded the Sorcerer and prepared to compete in the Newport-to-Bermuda race. For Venter, this contest should be a cup of tea. Unlike his venture into the human genome, this will be a voyage into fully charted waters.

--Reported by Dick Thompson/Washington