Tiny Flea Has More Genes Than You

So here's a group of questions for all you genome experts.

How is decoding a genome termed "successful?" What/who determines success?

(i.e., with 31,000 genes, how many experiments does it take to indicate what each gene expresses.)

How many organisms have their genome decoded successfully?

The article states that we share a big chunk of some of the same genes with Daphnia. Since the complexity of the human organism is expressed through a smaller number of genes, does this mean a large portion of the genes in Daphnia are "turned off?" If not, then what do they relate to? Obviously, there are less "characteristics" to be determined in a much simpler organism.

It is also stated that: "More than one-third of Daphnia's genes are undocumented in any other organism -- in other words, they are completely new to science," said Don Gilbert, coauthor and Department of Biology scientist at IU Bloomington.

These unique and previously unknown genes are "involved in response to the environment," the study said

If these genes have never been documented before how do we know that they are all "involved in response to the environment"?