Describes the ten-year, multimillion dollar Human Genome Project and its process of gene mapping; includes concerns of critics of the project.

Identifies and describes specific government assistance opportunities such as loans, grants, counseling, and procurement contracts available under many agencies and programs.

This simple, concise introduction to the HGP for the general reader explores the origins of the genome project and reactions in the scientific community; important technologies and techniques; institutions connected with the HGP, including designated genome centers, important suppliers of resources, and corporations; systems of communication; and ethical, legal, and social issues. A publication of the Biomolecular Sciences Initiative of CHF's Beckman Center for the History of Chemistry.