More thoughts from Prof. Stephen W. Scherer, published at World Science, September 8, 2006:

Some researchers don't think the new findings should change the 99.9 percent figure that much. “Taking all types of DNA variation into consideration and looking at the entire 'content' of the genome, I would now say we are 99.7-99.8 percent identical,” said Stephen W. Scherer of the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. Scherer co-authored another study, whose conclusions were similar to those published in Science. His was published in the Aug. 1 advance online issue of the research journal Nature Genetics.

Our preoccupation with DNA has already shed light on historical puzzles such as the roots and migrations of ancient peoples, historical demography of cultures and human genetic diversity. We now know that the age-old prejudices of caste, race or royalty, which granted undue importance to biological inheritance, have no substantial genetic basis. The HGP gives the scientific basis for promoting the concept of one race and of equal opportunity for all at the beginning of life. Sadly, this knowledge, on its own, is unlikely to be enough to overcome deeply embedded racial and other prejudices.