The first 'rough draft' of the entire human genome sequence is complete, UK and US scientists announced today. The achievement is being hailed as one of the most significant scientific milestones of all time, comparable with the moon landing or the splitting of the atom. UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and US president Bill Clinton described the work as 'the most wondrous map ever produced by humankind'.

The joint announcement, by the publicly-funded Human Genome Project (HGP) scientists and private firm Celera Genomics, appeared to mark the beginning of a new collaboration between the two groups. 'I am so pleased to announce that from this moment forward the robust and healthy competition that has lead us to this day will be coupled with enhanced public and private co-operation', President Clinton told a special ceremony at the White House.

UK researchers, who were responsible for sequencing a third of the three billion base-pairs of DNA that make up the genome, said that the draft was 85 per cent complete. Only 24 per cent of the genome is currently in the 'gold standard' format, with no gaps. But a fully finished sequence should be available within three years, they say - two years ahead of schedule.

'This is the outstanding achievement not only of our lifetime but in terms of human history' said Dr Michael Dexter, director of the Wellcome Trust, which funded much of the UK's efforts. 'I say this because the human genome project, the reading of the book of mankind, does have the potential to impact on the lives of every person on this planet'.