 Hi, I'm Adam Philippi, a computer scientist at the National Human Genome Research Institute. I'm one of the scientists that helped finish the first truly complete sequence of a human genome. Now, although I've worked on this problem for years, I'm going to show you today, through the wonder video, how to do it in just seven easy steps. Step one, find a DNA sample. For our project, we used a special type of cell that can multiply many times and make lots of DNA. But you can use a more simple sample. Blood works fine. Maybe you want to sequence yourself. Step two, isolate the cells by centrifugation. That's a scientific word for spinning something around super fast to separate the contents. Step three, once you have the cells collected, you can extract the DNA and get it ready for sequencing using some chemicals. You need to do this very carefully so that the DNA doesn't break into pieces. I leave these next few steps to the experts at NIH. When you're done, if it looks like a glob of snot in a test tube, you're on the right track. Step four, load the snot or sample into your favorite sequence. If you're like us and just can't decide, use both. This one may look like some kind of space age toaster, but this toaster feeds DNA strands through tiny, tiny holes called nanopores and reads the individual nucleotides as they pass through the pores using some fancy electrons. This one may look like a refrigerator, but uses lasers and cameras to make a movie of the DNA being copied. Now we wait for all the data to be generated. While you are waiting, you can admire the colorful display that shows which of the nanopores are actively sequencing. Amazingly, you can watch the sequencing happen in real time. This step can take a few days. Step six, once we have collected all the data, it's time to build a genome. Unfortunately, we haven't figured out how to sequence a whole chromosome in one piece yet. And instead, we're left with millions of smaller fragments. It's like putting together a million piece puzzle. Luckily, some impatient computer scientists have written computer programs called genome assemblers that can automatically stitch everything back together again. Step seven, analyze the assembled DNA sequencing data for quality making sure there are no problems. It is good to bring in experts for this step. They will use computational tools to search through the data like genome detectives looking for clues and fix any gaps or errors they find. This may sometimes look like pushing noodles around on a screen and you may love eating noodles, but try and stay focused. You're almost at the finish line. That's it! With those last few fixes, the genome is finished. Briefly bask in the glory of knowing you sequenced a complete human genome. If you have the informed consent of the donor, you can now upload it to a genome database and share with other scientists. Now do it all over again and again and again. With a diverse database of human genomes to compare against, doctors will be able to better diagnose and treat diseases and all of us will gain a better understanding of the wonderfully big extended family we call humanity. Just go at your word.