posted 09-22-2000 08:08 AM         

First Major Public Forum Since Release of the Draft Sequence to Examine the Implications of the Human Genome Project

WHEN Friday, September 22, and Saturday, September 23 - beginning at 1:00PM EST

WEB SITE http://www.amnh.org/genomics/

Responding to overwhelming public demand, the American Museum of Natural History will offer a webcast of its conference Sequencing the Human Genome: New Frontiers in Science and Technology, which may be seen by millions of people around the world via the World Wide Web. Fully booked for months in advance, this free two-day conference on genomics is the first major public forum since the release of the draft sequence to examine the implications of the Human Genome Project for the next century. Sequencing the Human Genome has been organized by the Museum's Molecular Program, which uses genomic data and cutting-edge technologies to track evolutionary patterns and processes. The Museum's extensive collections, including a new, state-of-the-art frozen tissue collection that will house more than a million specimens, provide the foundation for this exciting research.

Webcast from the Museum on Friday, September 22, and Saturday, September 23, Sequencing the Human Genome features renowned scientists - including two Nobel Prize winners, bioethicists, biotechnology entrepreneurs, and others - who will participate in a mix of lectures and panel discussions that explore the ramifications of the Human Genome Project and address the social, business, and ethical implications of advancing genetic technologies and their effect on our understanding of natural history. Speakers include: Arthur L. Caplan, Director, Center for Bioethics and Trustee Professor, University of Pennsylvania; Eric Green, Chief, Genome Technology Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute and Director, National Institutes of Health Intramural Sequencing Center; Leroy Hood, President and Director, Institute for Systems Biology; William Haseltine, Chairman & CEO, Human Genome Sciences; Mary-Claire King, American Cancer Society Research Professor of Genetics, University of Washington, and Harold Varmus, President, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

The Museum has teamed up with Digital Island (NASDAQ: ISLD) to provide a worldwide audience with access to this Conference. Digital Island is a hosting, content delivery, networking, and application service provider that helps companies enhance their customers' on-line experience by making Web applications run faster and more reliably on a global scale. The entire Conference will be webcast from the Museum's Main Auditorium via satellite uplink and will then be distributed through Digital Island's worldwide network.

Sequencing the Human Genome launches a year of public programming at the American Museum of Natural History on genomics. Highlights include the groundbreaking exhibition, Genome: The Code of Life, which opens in April 2001, lectures, and other events, which are part of the Museum's ongoing effort to enhance public understanding of critical scientific developments.

In addition, the Museum has selected Digital Island to host its redesigned and enhanced Web site, which will be launched this winter. Archived video excerpts of Sequencing the Human Genome will be accessible on the Web site for Genome: The Code of Life, to be launched next April, when the exhibition opens.

For technical information please contact: petrus@amnh.org

Media queries: Department of Communications -- 212-769-5800; communications@amnh.org