May 15, 2005 (Vol. 25, No. 10)
URL:
http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/ghr
Rating:
Strong Points: Very good writing
Weak Points: Uneven
Summary:
Subtitled, “Your guide to understanding genetic conditions,” the Genetics Home Reference is the Ladies Home Journal of genomics. That may be a bit of a stretch, unless Mom is a fledgling molecular geneticist. With topics ranging from Parkinson’s disease to Cystic Fibrosis, Genetics Home Reference abounds with information about common diseases as well as obscure ones. You don’t have to be a molecular geneticist to understand the descriptions at the site, but it doesn’t hurt. The level of scientific depth varies, with educational materials (“Help Me Understand Genetics”) written for a fairly general audience and disease descriptions written for beginning molecular biologists. An interesting site apparently aimed at the general public, I think it has a way to go to realize its goals.
