Once the research is complete, it will give scientists and researchers a better view of human biology, as well as human diseases. Surprisingly, it is now thought that humans have roughly the same genome size as mice. Mice are mammals, making them similar to humans in varied ways - such as four limbs and five fingers, as well as having the same organs as we do.
Mice are studied extensively, therefore much more is known about their genes than human genes.
It is hoped that, by comparing known mouse genes with similar human genes, scientists will be able to gain better understanding of what those genes actually do. In looking at the stuff you begin to understand what it does. This is because any part of the genome that looks the same in mice and humans is likely to control something important, he said. It will probably take comparisons across the genomes of three to five species to do that, he said. Adams believes that the mouse genome might help scientists understand differences in how diseases behave in mice and people.