As mentioned in the article, this discovery will change the world. And the sample size was only 270 people!! Just think of what will be discovered in the near future when everyone can have their DNA sequenced as a routine medical test. Without a doubt, we are entering a new era...

This may have taken so long to find because the Shotgun approach to sequencing (used in the Human Genome Project) makes it difficult to reassemble repetitive sequences. So, if everyone is going to have their DNA sequenced, another approach may be needed.