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Genomics Pioneer J. Craig Venter Dies at 79

5/1/2026

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Story summary
  • J. Craig Venter, founder of the J. Craig Venter Institute, died in San Diego at 79 after hospitalization for side effects from cancer treatment.
  • He pushed the public Human Genome Project to speed up by aggressively using whole-genome shotgun sequencing.
  • Venter co-led the 2000 draft of the human genome, later built the first self-replicating bacterial cell with a synthetic genome, and founded Celera Genomics.