Dolan DNA Learning Center Launches
The Genes We Share Exhibit
"Peoplescape" of Times Square showing diversity of the human species. |
In September, the Dolan DNA Learning Center opened an exciting, self-guided exhibit called The Genes We Share. Through a variety of hands-on activities, the exhibit enables visitors to explore how human beings are the same in many ways, and different in other ways, due to slight variations in their genetic makeup.
"This exhibit encourages people to take a good close look at themselves, and each other! We all have DNA, and the human genome project has allowed us to get to know ourselves a little better," says Bronwyn Terrill, multimedia developer at the Dolan DNA Learning Center and curator of The Genes We Share. "There's plenty to do, whether you're watching your thumbprint develop, listening to stories about your chromosomes, comparing your face with that of your ancient ancestor's in our Cave of Common Origins, or exploring the Mystery of Anastasia."
The Genes We Share is recommended for children aged 10 and up, and adults. From restroom doors that allow a person to categorize themselves as either XX (female) or XY (male), to dramatic, large-scale "Peoplescapes" that use photographs of human populations all over the world to remind us of our differences and similarities, this exhibit encourages people to consider the intimate relationship between themselves and their genes. 
Skeletal reconstructions of a chimpanzee, Neanderthal, and a human (left to right) in the Cave of Common Origins. |
The human genome is the vast instruction manual for our bodies, a record of our shared ancestry, and a source of information that could foreshadow a person's future health. In The Genes We Share, visitors can follow the path of ancient human populations as they migrated out of Africa across the globe; see the first reconstruction of an adult Neanderthal skeleton; compare characteristics that make them unique, such as their tongue-rolling ability, hairiness, eye color, and other genetic traits; take a tour through the human genome, stopping at important "landmarks" along the way; and view a reconstruction of the original model of DNA made by James Watson and Francis Crick in 1953.
The Genes We Share is free of charge and open to the public weekdays from 10am to 4pm and Saturdays from 12pm to 4pm. For more information, call 516-367-5170 or visit www.dnalc.org. The Dolan DNA Learning Center is located at 334 Main Street in Cold Spring Harbor. Support for The Genes We Share comes from the Richard Lounsbery Foundation, The William A. Haseltine Foundation for Medical Sciences and The Arts, and Tularik Inc. Support for the Dolan DNA Learning Center's Exhibition Program is provided by Laurie J. Landeau, D.V.M. 
Partial view of the "We Share/We Differ" section of the exhibit. |
The Dolan DNA Learning Center is the world's first science center devoted entirely to public genetics education. Since its founding in 1988, the center has provided laboratory experiences for more than 150,000 pre-college students. The Learning Center's DNA Science curriculum, used in both high schools and colleges throughout the nation, has sold more than 60,000 copies. Approximately 4,000 educators in several countries and 40 U.S. states have received training at Learning Center sponsored workshops, such as its popular DNA Book Camp. With support from the Josiah Macy, Jr. Foundation, the Dolan DNA Learning Center has also created a series of award-winning websites including DNA From The Beginning and Your Genes, Your Health, available at www.dnalc.org.
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