Genome Image Cycle

Coming September 26, 2009

EXHIBIT HIGHLIGHTS

The Secret of You

Circular Corridor. Visitors enter a circular corridor, encountering graphic and mirror images of themselves in the initial stages of life and as a mature human being, reflecting who they were and who they are today. From a mirror at the end of the tunnel emanates a swirling ribbon of genetic code, representing the genes that hold the secrets to where they came from, who they are and who they may become.

The Secrets of Life

Giant Double Helix Model. An 8-foot-tall, 25-foot-long genetic model of a double helix offers a colorful visual study of the basics of DNA. The giant DNA recreation features music synchronized to a video narrated by Eric Lander, Ph.D., Director, Whitehead Institute/Massachusetts Institute of Technology Center for Genome Research.

Cell Explorer. A moveable flat video screen lets visitors navigate a large map of a cell and discover the workings of its parts and processes.

Cookie Factory. If proteins were boxes of cookies, here’s a fanciful look at how they might be made and packaged. Visitors observe a fantastic cookie factory machine that reads genetic recipes and produces boxes of cookies.

Discovery

Discovery Timeline. A fascinating video traces two centuries of essential discoveries in genetic research, bringing to life the passionate stories of their remarkable discoveries in often unremarkable circumstances.

Watson/Crick Model Set. Visitors can observe a replica of Watson and Crick’s original 1953 double helix model set in a remake of their Cambridge lab.

Living on the Frontier

Find a Gene. Would-be genetic scientists can test for the presence of PKU in this interactive display.

Genetic Counselor. Via interactive video, exhibit-goers can confer with genetic counselors about specific traits.

Fold a Protein. Visitors can use computer simulations to design new gene therapies, replacing disease-causing proteins with healthy new human genes.

Reality Check Theatre. This video presentation leaves visitors informed, entertained and inspired. Whitehead Institute/Massachusetts Institute of Technology Center for Genome Research director Eric Lander, Ph.D., discusses genetic issues such as proteomics and genetic testing.

Educator Resources

Teachers Guide to the exhibit.
Lesson Plans on the exhibit