# A Genome Sequence Is Only a Gene Index by Terrence J. Sejnowski > “The discovery that DNA carries the genetic code for cells opened a new era in biology that focused on the organization of information in cells. Soon we will know all the genes in cells from humans and many other species and high throughput methods are available to identify proteins and to analyze their three dimensional structures. However, the sequence of a genome only provides the equivalent of nature's white pages, a useful index of genes but far less than we need in order to know how cells work.” > **— Terrence J. Sejnowski**, *2003 Edge Annual Question, response passage* ## Sources and Context - **Original Edge response:** [Computational Neuroscientist — Terrence J. Sejnowski](https://www.edge.org/response-detail/11651) — a verbatim passage from Terrence J. Sejnowski's 2003 Annual Question response, expressing the author's position at the time. The linked response supplies its surrounding context. - **Local archival entry:** [[research/Edge 2003 Full Quotation Curation|Edge 2003 Full Quotation Curation]] (EDGE2003-019). ## Related Articles and Collections - **Collection:** [[collections/Edge|Edge]] - **Collection:** [[collections/Consciousness Continuity|Consciousness Continuity]] - **Article:** [[articles/The Art is Long|The Art is Long]] - **Article:** [[articles/Technologies for Consciousness Mapping and Transfer|Technologies for Consciousness Mapping and Transfer]] - **Article:** [[articles/Digital Darwinism and the Invisible World of Machine Evolution|Digital Darwinism and the Invisible World of Machine Evolution]] ## Related Topics - [[wiki/Genomics|Genomics]] ## Share on Social Media ``` “The discovery that DNA carries the genetic code for cells opened a new era in biology that focused on the organization of information in cells. Soon we will know all the genes in cells from humans and many other species and high throughput methods are available to identify proteins and to analyze their three dimensional structures. However, the sequence of a genome only provides the equivalent of nature's white pages, a useful index of genes but far less than we need in order to know how cells work.” — Terrence J. Sejnowski, 2003 Edge Annual Question https://bryantmcgill.com/simple-reminders-terrence-sejnowski-genome-sequence-only-natures-white ```