Helping millions of visitors every year, yourgenome is devoted to sharing the fascinating, fast-paced, and sometimes daunting world of DNA, genes, and genomes with the public.

Back in the year 2000, the world of genetics research was a very difficult subject to get your head around. The human genome project had just announced its ‘draft sequence‘, and the media was trying to understand how this brave new world of science would impact our lives. Launched in 2001, the goal of yourgenome was to fill that gap: provide an easy to digest, credible source of genomics information, aimed squarely at public awareness rather than scientific discourse.

Fast forward to today: genetics is an important part of the school curriculum, it is a dinner table discussion between generations of families, and it impacts almost all research into healthcare. People have begun to understand that their genome plays a huge part of who they are – as individuals, and as a species in a larger world.

However, the science continues at a frantic pace. The revolutionary promises of the Human Genome Project are finally starting to bear fruit, and changes are happening so fast that it’s hard to keep up. As one of the leading online genetics resources, yourgenome enables people to get to grips with not only the ‘science’ behind the science, but also the discussions surrounding the impact of the science on our society.

Having undergone a dramatic redesign in 2014, yourgenome is divided into four main areas to reflect key areas of interest.

• Fact pages provide a solid base of bite-size, educational content.
• Stories highlight the interesting topics, history, and individuals in genomic science – showing the context, relevance and impact it has on everyday life.
• Debate pages walk the tricky path through the middle of ethical discussions, providing a balanced view from both sides of the fence.
• A broad range of resources enable people to explore different aspects of genomics. Films, animations and activities from yourgenome can be used in classrooms, after-school clubs and festivals. These materials are accessible to all, for free, and can be shared and modified to fulfil your needs.

The site has frequent updates, delivering high-quality content in the best format, based on user feedback and popular topics. The yourgenome identity has also expanded to other online platforms, such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, increasing the ways people can access information about a complex subject through familiar channels.

Yourgenome is a friendly website with appeal for many different audiences. The content covers a broad range of topics and gives people a good level of understanding without needing any previous education in the subject, empowering everyone to be active participants in the discussions we all need to contribute to about the future of genomics.