On Dec. 11, 1996,  scientists from Stanford University and Affymetrix announced a new high-tech method that used a thumbnail-sized silicon chip to scan thousands of genes at once could revolutionize genetic research and dramatically speed discoveries.

Writing in two reports in the journal Nature Genetics, the Stanford University investigators said the technique uses the tiny GeneChip, designed to carry a neat array of up to 100,000 fragments of the genetic blueprint DNA, revolutionizing gene expression and DNA sequencing.