As 2003 marks the completion of the human genome sequence and the 50th anniversary of the discovery of the DNA double helix, the Internet has exploded with noteworthy Web sites on the topic. The following represent just some of what the Web has to offer. The first site is the homepage of the National Human Genome Research Institute (1) -- a good place to start even if the content and presentation...

From the Broad Institute--a research alliance of Harvard University, the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology--this website makes a variety of genomic resources publicly available to researchers. The site links to Genome Sequence Databases under the following categories: Fungal, Vertebrate Lineage, Bacterium, Mammalian, and Archaebacterium....

Established in 1890, the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) is one of the best-known and most respected private research institutions in the United States. Over the past century, the Laboratory has supported the careers of seven Nobel Prize recipients and it is particularly well-regarded for its work in the field of genetics research. Today, there are over 400 scientists who work at the facility...

The Consensus CoDing Sequence (CCDS) Database "project is a collaborative effort to identify a core set of human protein-coding regions that are consistently annotated and of high quality. The long-term goal is to support convergence toward a standard set of gene annotations on the human genome." CCDS project collaborators include the National Center for Biotechnology (NCBI), European...

Based in California, Dendrome is a project of the Institute of Forest Genetics (USDA Forest Service) that aims to act as "a central electronic resource for the study of forest tree genomes." Users will find a wealth of information at the site, including several excellent genome resources (complete with genetic maps), links to research institutes, upcoming scientific meetings and courses, and job...

This website features the specialist research groups at the European Bioinformatics Institute (EBI). The EBI's research groups provide "biological data and utilities to aid the scientific community in the understanding of genomic and proteomic data." This site offers a variety of information about numerous research groups including the Computational Genomics Group, Sequence Database Group,...

How do you get young people interested in the world of genomics? Well, for a start, you can take them on this interactive tour of the Genome Sequencing Center at Washington University. Created by a team of researchers at the Center, this site offers twelve different video clips, several supplemental videos, and a host of student activities. Visitors can get started by viewing the five different...

Free for academic and non-commercial use, the Genomes OnLine Database (GOLD) is an internet "resource for comprehensive access to information regarding complete and ongoing genome projects around the world. GOLD provides the largest available and most detailed monitoring of genome sequencing projects." This recently updated database presently contains 173 Published Complete Genomes (including 4...

The journal Nature presents this online special feature on the recently sequenced Y chromosome. The Web site offers a number of free informative resources, including an account of the sequencing project as well as related scientific papers and letters published in the journal. An archive of Y chromosome-related articles are also available for registered users (no cost for registration). In all,...

This special Web Focus from the journal Nature presents research papers that "serve as the definitive historical record for the sequences and analyses of human chromosomes -- the ultimate results of the Human Genome Project." Papers are available for chromosomes 6, 7, 14, 20, 21, 22, and Y, which readers can access (no subscription required) by clicking on the image of the corresponding...