Title: Human genome project information
Description: Includes information about the U.S. and worldwide Human Genome Project. Begun in 1990, the U.S. Human Genome Project is coordinated by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health. Project goals are to: identify all the approximate 30,000 genes in human DNA, determine the sequences of the 3 billion chemical base pairs that make up human DNA, store this information in databases, develop tools for data analysis, transfer related technologies to the private sector, and address the ethical, legal, and social issues that may arise from the project.

"Although the main purpose of this award-winning governmental site is to disseminate "information about the U.S. and worldwide Human Genome Projects," it actually offers a wealth of general research information on genetics and bioethics. Clicking on the "About HGP" link will lead to yet more links, including a "Genetics 101" introduction, a glossary of terms, a list of acronyms, a FAQ section, and an extensive list of links to other genome web pages. From the home page, the "Ethical, Legal, Social Issues" section includes a very useful page on legislation and links to journal articles on court actions. Site organization is generally good with alphabetic quick links at the top of the dictionary pages for easy navigation. A drawback of the design is that some of the sections are just long lists of articles and are a little difficult to wade through. Overall, however, this site is an excellent starting point for research on the hot issues in bioethics."--Reviewed Mar. 30, 2001. "Best Free Reference Web Sites 2001," RUSA Quarterly, Fall 2001. Comp. by the MARS Best Free Websites Committee, RUSA, ALA.
Subjects: Human gene mapping, Directories, Computer network resources, Human genome, Human Genome Project