In September 1994, the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory hosted a conference, sponsored by the Perkin-Elmer Corporation, to celebrate the upcoming (in 1995) tenth anniversary of the invention by Kary Mullis of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique, one of the most important scientific tools to be developed in the twentieth century. The technique, which utilizes an enzymatic method to amplify specific DNA sequences, revolutionized the entire DNA universe - DNA research, gene discovery, diagnostics development, forensic investigation, and environmental science - and won for Mullis the Nobel Prize.

At the 1994 conference, 21 scientists explored the wide-ranging impact of PCR, and looked at future applications of the technique. Our excerpts are taken from talks by James Watson, Kary Mullis, Andrew Ellington, and Stephen Fodor. You may view the full table of contents and purchase the VHS videotapes ($300 for the seven-volume set) from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.

Selected Events in the Chronology of PCR - a list of important dates, from the publication of Mullis and colleagues' first paper on PCR, to the patenting of the technique, to its use in human forensics.

Combinatorial Chemists Make Good: Profile of Affymax - HMS Beagle's inaugural Profile portrays Affymax, a biotech leader and parent company to Stephen Fodor's Affymetrix, that uses peptide synthesis to generate the molecules of potential new drugs for screening.

Online Protocols - an extensive survey in HMS Beagle's In Situ column of Internet protocol resources, including cell and molecular biology sites, laboratory home pages, and discussion forums.