LaBaer cautioned, however, that the publication of the Human Genome Project results is only the beginning of an expansive research process.

"I think the one thing that does get overlooked a little bit is how much of a first step this really is," he said.

Daniel L. Hartl, chair of organismic and evolutionary biology, said the study will be a jumping-off point for future research endeavors.

"It starts a new era in genetics," Hartl said, who mentioned the project's publication in his Biological Sciences 50,"Genetics and Genomics" lecture yesterday.

"The challenge for the next century for biologists is to find out how organisms really work as molecular machines," he said.

Joanna L. Chan '01, a member of the Hippocratic Society, said the publication of the results marks "a big step in terms of possible gene therapy."

She also emphasized the need for extensive ethical discussion in addition to further scientific research.

The ethics of the Human Genome Project will also be the subject of a Feb. 20 roundtable discussion at the Harvard Medical School entitled "Pandora's Box?: The Social Implications of the Human Genome Project." The event will feature a keynote address by Collins.