Home DNA Sequencing

An anonymous reader writes "Wired is running an article about high-tech gifts for Christmas, including a home DNA sequencing kit targeted at kids for under $100. What's next, the Fisher Price Cloning kit?"

Comments

a quick one...

[Adolf Hitroll]

Fuck the GNAA !

aha!

[Anonymous Coward]

fr0st p1st! will of warrior! aha!

Re:aha!

[Adolf Hitroll]

despite your "will of warrior", you just failed it whereas I just passed by in order to check my freaks' journals, saw an empty story and made it.

Get a priority(*), donut-hole.

(*priority = this word designate anything important which exists IRL**)

(**IRL = outside one's parents' basement, opposedly to slashdot which only gathers some buttfuckers'*** homo fantasms)

(***buttfuckers = some guy with no life who self-designates itself as a "Nerd-and-proud-of-it" and considers itself l33t)

(**** l33t, Nerd, etc. = if somebody calls itself one of these, just avoid him like a -gay- plague, if it calls YOU these, either avoid it if he's friendly or commit suicide if he looks objective)

OK, just burnt my 2 weekly posts, let's get back to something important

Re:aha!

[Anonymous Coward]

You're my hero, Adolf Hitroll. I would if I could give you modpoints and extra weekly comments.

Warning!

[Anonymous Coward]

This kit will install Claria spyware in your genetic code.

Re:Warning!

[genner]

It's called adware you insensitive clod.

Am I... a racist?!

[Anonymous Coward]

I've always thought of myself as liberal, open-minded and tolerant person.

I don't mind if you're a person who smokes a joint once in a while.

I am not really bothered if you've been in prison.

Gay? Lesbian? Who cares?

Today, however, I realized something that deeply disturbed me.

For some reason, being close to someone of a different race makes me uncomfortable. I've tried to fight off this feeling, but it just doesn't go away. Am I really a racist? I don't want to be one. In fact, I find even the idea of treating someone differently because of their religion, skin colour or ethnicity makes me feel sick.

Do other liberals feel the way I do or am I really a closet racist?

Re:Am I... a racist?!

[Anonymous Coward]

am I really a closet racist?

Yes. You should be ashamed of yourself. Feeling superior to people whose culture is laughable and scientific achievements negligible.

The punishment for such a heinous thought-crime is a trip to the mental re-adjustment camps.

Fisher Price Cloning

[vjmurphy]

"What's next, the Fisher Price Cloning kit?"

Man, I hope not: those Fisher Price kids are genetic disasters. Most of them are bald, have some type of head enlarging disorder, as well as lack of arms and legs. I've even seen one with a pan on his head.

Now Weebles: there's your evolutionary high road...

Re:Fisher Price Cloning

[Anonymous Coward]

What's next, the Fisher Price Penis Enlargment Kit?

Re:Fisher Price Cloning

[vjmurphy]

Visual reference for more amusement.

Re:Fisher Price Cloning

[Anonymous Coward]

Now Weebles: there's your evolutionary high road...

If you don't mind your kid falling over like a dead segway, I suppose.

Re:Fisher Price Cloning

[hplasm]

Now Weebles: there's your evolutionary high road... ...And here's the proof...

Weebl & Bob

Re:Fisher Price Cloning

[Cyno01]

No dumbass, weebles wobble but they dont fall down.

Re:Fisher Price Cloning

[Anonymous Coward]

Top secret Slashdot document flowchart recreated for your viewing pleasure. This was taken with a micro camera like in the mission impossible movie, but I was dangling over a wet heap of smelly socks and unwashed bodies and they had just passed out from eating frozen pizza, they can't afford the real stuff. I took this picture and digitized it. I narrowly escaped this ordeal and am still mixing Chlorine Bleach and Battery Acid to produce Chlorine gas to get the smell of the Slashdot hovel out of my nose. Unwashed clothing, greasy matter hair, fart saturated furniture at every turn. Open cases of crappy K6 based white-box china-hardware strewn about, half ass 4 wire extra cheesy barely twisted CAT3 wire being used as CAT5 because "it works fine" 400 distributions of Linux lying around messily unboxed and documentation strewn about. The smell of feces was in the air, along with rotting food and marinating sweat from the foul underarms of the Slashdot team. Upon obtaining this evidence I now know more about things are done around here. It is a very interesting process that outlines the depravity of the programming here.
DOCUMENT_DISTRIBUTION:
_____________TOP_SECRET___:_(GROUP_SLSH-1)
_____________EYES_ONLY____:_(HARD_COPY_ONLY)
_____________NEED_TO_KNOW_:_(DIRECT_DEV)
_____________DESTROY_INACTIVE_COPIES

SLASHTEAM_FEATURE_PLANNING_FLOW_CHART

_________________START
___________________V
+-_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_-+
|Ha_s_the_feature_been_implemented_before|_yes_
|__on_Kuro5hin_or_another_weblog_site?__|_____|
+-_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_-+_;___|
___________________|__________________________|
___________________no_________________________V
___________________V__________________________|
____+-_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_-+__________|
____|Was_the_feature_implemented_or|______yes_|
____|_suggested_by_a_known_Troll?__|__________|
____+-_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_-+__________|
___________________|__________________________V
___________________no_________________________|
___________________V__________________________|
__+-_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--+________|___ _______________
__|_Have_hundreds_of_users_suggested_|____yes_|___ ___/___________\
__|the_feature_to_CmdrTaco_via_email?|________+-_- ->|_WON'T_SCALE_|_-_--_--+
__+-_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--+________^___ ___\___________/_________|
___________________|__________________________no__ _________________________|
___________________no_________________________|___ _________________________^
___________________V__________________________^___ _________________________|
____+-_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_-+_______+-_--_- -_--_--_---+_____________|
____|Will_the_feature_make_Slashdot|__yes_\|Can_ja mie_or_krow|_____________|
____|___even_more_like_a_game?_____|______/|_hack_ it_for_me?_|_____________|
____+-_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_-+_______+-_--_- -_--_--_---+_____________|
___________________|______________________________ ____|____________________|
___________________no_____________________________ ___yes___________________|
___________________V______________________________ ____v____________________|
___+-_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_-+______/__THI S_FEATURE_IS_PERFECT_\___|
___|Can_CmdrTaco_use_his_limited_Perl|_yes\/__FOR_ SLASHDOT._IM_SO_GLAD__\__|
___|____knowledge_to_kludge_it_in?___|____/\___I_T HOUGHT_OF_IT!!!_TIME__/__|
___+-_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_--_-+______\____F OR_SAILOR_MOON!______/___|
___________________|______________________________ _________________________^
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Re:Fisher Price Cloning

[Walt Dismal]

This brings back fond memories of those 50's movies, "I Was a Teenage Genetic Engineer" and the sequel, "Beach WLAN Bingo" with Cowboy Neal and Annette. I think Vincent Price was in there somewhere too.

Re:Fisher Price Cloning

[Ubergrendle]

I'm still holding out for the Garden of Eden Creation Kit...

Re:Fisher Price Cloning

[iminplaya]

Let's just hope they don't do this for Mr. Potato(e) Head.

Re:Fisher Price Cloning

[matrix29]

"What's next, the Fisher Price Cloning kit?"

Man, I hope not: those Fisher Price kids are genetic disasters. Most of them are bald, have some type of head enlarging disorder, as well as lack of arms and legs. I've even seen one with a pan on his head.

Now Weebles: there's your evolutionary high road...

Kid takes sample of dad's DNA...
Kid takes sample of mom's DNA...
Kid takes sample of their own DNA...

Sequences them all one by one...

Goes up to mom and dad, points finger...
"YOU'RE NOT MY REAL FATHER!"

Hilarity Ensues...

Re:Fisher Price Cloning

[Anonymous Coward]

R.I.P. Black Isle...

Re:Fisher Price Cloning

[Scroatzilla]

Snoopy Snow Clone Machine

Really useful

[Zog The Undeniable]

For when you find a Middle Eastern despot hiding under your lawn ;-)

Wow

[Soporific]

I had no idea this kind of technology was even near any kind of consumer level. It's amazing the rate technology is progressing.

~S

Re:Wow

[autolycos]

Unfortunately, this is a bit far from sequencing. All you're doing is taking the raw DNA and making it insoluble in water. So, really, it's a great way to make false snot... which should appeal to the young male sector more anyway. Gross is G00d

Re:Wow

[mlush]

I had no idea this kind of technology was even near any kind of consumer level. It's amazing the rate technology is progressing.

Its not quite what it says on the story, its not DNA sequencing its just a DNA seperation kit using the bog standard ethanol prep which you can do with washing up liquid, salt and a bottle of (80%) Polish vodka. The electrophoresis step is quite nice using a battery to provide the DC current. However the kit is nothing you could not make yourself (Most of Molecular biology is really quite low tech the main requirement is getting pure reagents to do it with)

Thats not to say its not a cool gift/toy, at the very least the Centrifuge, and Electrophoresis chamber could probably be reused by the budding geekling

here is the link to the actual product.

Re:Wow

[Dr.Enormous]

It's just gene mapping via electrophoresis, rather than sequencing. The stuff to do it crudely is actually pretty simple and cheap.

All it gets you is a pattern of sites that the enzymes cut at, not a sequence. Still, this is how a lot of DNA work (particularly forensics) is done, and it's awesome enough for me to want one (even though I have ready access to the real stuff).

Re:Wow

[MadBiologist]

I do gel electrophresis everyday for a living... and I'm still gonna get one... how sick is that Jim

Re:Wow

[Sgt York]

It looks like they may also include some restriction enzymes as well, so you are mapping it. But it's a far cry from sequencing. Heck, if it was, I'd buy one for the lab. That's CHEAP.

You also get to do electrophoresis and take pictures of your product, which is kinda cool. I can just see what's going throuh those kids minds right now....So, how similar are fido and the cat? What if I compare little sister's DNA to mine? Hey, you hold down the dog while I get some blood....oops....

Re:Wow

[sandyjensen]

Good thing they left out the ethidium bromide. And I'm glad to see they used agarose instead of acrylamide, because inevitably some younger sibling out there will decide to eat the sequencing kit.

Anyone know how well it actually works?

[DavidNWelton]

I don't mean producing laboratory quality results, just whether it works at all to produce something recognizable? This would be sort of a fun gift for my girlfriend, who is in biotech.

Re:Anyone know how well it actually works?

[Rich0]

This basically extracts DNA and runs whatever natural fragments form across a gel - definitely not sequencing, but certainly cute.

As a biochemist I certainly appreciate the value of the kit in introducting kids to science. Think of it like you'd think of a build-your-own-microscope or build-your-own-electric-motor kit. Yeah, those do make things look bigger and they will turn in a wobbly sort of way, but they aren't useful as real microscopes/motors.

As far as the reference in the article to paternity testing goes - forget it. At the very least you'd have to use a restriction enzyme to generate a fingerprint pattern. This just makes visible the various small chunks of DNA visible which are created from mechanical handling of it.

Most likely you'll get a smear of some sort - not discrete bands like you get from any useful experiment. Also - if you do end up with any patterns you'll probably get a different one any time - hardly a "fingerprint". Then again, the discovery website lists a DNA stain fabricated to look like real DNA in its brief description - so if that is added to the well prior to electrophoresis you could get a pattern of bands - though this would not be from the DNA in your sample.

It is a cute concept though. Your girlfriend will probably appreciate it, although the results will be far inferior to anything she generates at work (assuming she actually works in the lab).

I wish I knew more about the contents of the kit. I'm curious as to what they're using for staining - the gold standard in the lab is ethidium bromide. However, I'm certain that isn't in the kit - it is a very powerful mutagen.

Re:Anyone know how well it actually works?

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes it would be fun to have a girlfriend, every geek is running to the stores as we speak.

Bag one of these babies and grab some babes DNA, will there be an online database of chick's DNA?

Then we shall bag the Cloning kit next.

Actually that brings up an issue. PRIVACY, what if somebody puts online a database and people start submitting Peoples DNA (from any source).

Re:Anyone know how well it actually works?

[Marcus Brody]

I'm curious as to what they're using for staining - the gold standard in the lab is ethidium bromide. However, I'm certain that isn't in the kit - it is a very powerful mutagen.

Cyber Green? I think that's fairly safe.... Ethidium Bromide would be bad!

Would have been nice if they could have included some cheap and robust restriction enzyme, to produce fingerprints. However this would then require hybridisation with a probe to bring out a few bands - way too complex/expensive. Anyone think of a cheaper and easier way of producing a nice fingerprint? It would be good to have a Mark II kit that actually did something usefull...

Re:Anyone know how well it actually works?

[CommandNotFound]

As a biochemist...

I've RTFA's for almost five years now about DNA sequencing, and how uber-clusters of Linux boxes have been used to help this process (a recent Linux Journal article talked about this). However, never have I seen an explanation of what DNA sequencing really is, and more importantly, what good does having a sequence do? What will we do with this new information? All the articles I see usually have a sidebar with some handwaving about "medical research" and the obligatory "hopefully find new cures for cancer". Usually it just seems to be used by the media and governments as a benchmark to display against the other guys, such as "We sequenced the [animal] gene in 2.37 days, much faster than the [other nationality] team who took three weeks. [our nationality] rules!"

I don't consider myself stupid, but I'm really ignorant about the topic. Can it be explained to a fellow techie in the length of a forum post? As an engineer at heart, I like to know what the final result will be (the "benefit" in the cost/benefit analysis).

Re:Anyone know how well it actually works?

[ps]

Shameless plug!

Why not buy it and try it yourself!
http://shopping.discovery.com/stores/se rvlet/Produ ctDisplay?catalogId=10000&storeId=10000&productId= 53965&langId=-1

Buy now, and get it for Christmas! You can use the coupon SHOP10 to get $10 off on all your shopping at the Discovery Store.

Yes, I work for Discovery.

Re:Anyone know how well it actually works?

[Daniel Dvorkin]

Well, it's a fair question, and to some degree it's difficult to answer, because ... well, at this point, a lot of DNA sequence information is kind of like Bernoulli's law before airplanes, or the rules of Boolean algebra before computers. IOW, we know that there's a lot we can do with the information, but we haven't actually built the machines yet.

That being said, there's a lot of useful work going on with at least some DNA sequence information right now. Here (as a comp. bio. grad student) are the ones I can think of at the moment:

• Microbial and viral sequence data is probably the most immediately useful, because by comparing the sequences of different strains of pathogens (e.g. HIV) we can track the emergence of these strains, figure out when and where they originated, and hopefully control the most virulent strains.
• More excitingly, these little critters tend to have genomes that are really simple; learning, e.g., which genes in a viral genome code for which proteins in its coat allows us to develop new drugs against it. AFAIK, most of the latest generation of AIDS drugs (which don't cure the disease, certainly, but do allow its victims to live much longer and better lives than previously) were developed this way.
• In a similar vein to the first item, it's possible to track the evolutionary development of bigger organisms (e.g., us) by comparing changes in sequences between those organisms and their close relatives (e.g., other primates). This kind of "phylogenetics" has already changed a lot of previous assumptions about various organisms' relationships to each other and their common ancestors; it's not an exaggeration to say it's redrawing our picture of the tree of life. This is, of course, pure science rather than engineering; whether you value knowledge for its own sake is up to you. (And if you're a creationist, then please stop reading; I don't like spending my time explaining things to idiots.;)
• "Bad" gene sequences are the cause of cancer, and of almost every other non-infectious disease we know of. (Sickle-cell, cystic fibrosis, Tay-Sachs, you name it.) Right now, about all we can do is identify individuals who are at higher risk for some form of cancer because of some particular kink in their DNA. That's still important, because it allows those individuals to be more closely tracked and given earlier treatment if and when tumours do appear. However ...
• We are at the dawn of the gene therapy era. (Like all ages of exploration, it's risky; so far I think the score is something like two patients cured, twenty killed.) It is entirely reasonable to expect that within a decade or two, we will be able to insert "good" copies of "bad" genes, replacing the genes which cause these diseases. This is the whiz-bang stuff that has everyone so excited.

There's plenty more, but this is the stuff I can come up with off the top of my head and with only half a cup of coffee so far this morning. ;)

Re:Anyone know how well it actually works?

[Sgt York]

SYBR green.

And I'm pretty sure it intercolates as well (it only interacts with dsDNA), so it's a potential mutagen. Not proven, but still not up for handing out to kids.

I was just showing that to a labmate, and we think that it could simply be hemotoxylin (sp? I never write it out..as in H&E). It's purple, and since the gel should be fairly devoid of protein, it should specifically stain DNA.

Re:Anyone know how well it actually works?

[anethema]

I'm curious as to what they're using for staining - the gold standard in the lab is ethidium bromide. However, I'm certain that isn't in the kit - it is a very powerful mutagen.

Heh, doesn't this defeate the purpose of using it for DNA, if it changes the DNA in the process? ;)

Re:Anyone know how well it actually works?

[mishmash]

The parent post asks what could be used for staining that isn't a mutagen. One possibility is Blueview. The image of the kit on the discovery site shows the DNA stain with a label "Blue DNA Stain", which is consistant with a product like Blueview being used.
From the Sigma Website: BlueView is a quick, safe alternative to ethidium bromide staining for nucleic acid electrophoresis. BlueView can be used directly as the running buffer and in the gel for instant staining of the bands of nucleic acids during electrophoresis, visible in ambient light.

Re:Anyone know how well it actually works?

[Anonymous Coward]

SYBR green.

Isn't that made of people?

Re:Anyone know how well it actually works?

[hyaline_sky]

Some creative thinking has allowed, at least, the ability to start mapping diseases to genes where previously none was known. My favorite little company is one in San Diego named Sequenom that through mass-spec can compare fragments of the genomes of a control set of people to the genomes to a set of people with a disease and essentially map a disease to a gene in a month. Now, how they make any money doing this is beyond me.

Re:Anyone know how well it actually works?

[Daniel Dvorkin]

Presumably, the way they make money is by licensing the information to drug companies.

Re:Anyone know how well it actually works?

[hyaline_sky]

That depends, do you plan to recover your electrophoresed DNA?

Re:Anyone know how well it actually works?

[Anonymous Coward]

I thought pretty much any stain that binds to DNA is going to be a potential mutagen. Even Cyber Green.

Re:Anyone know how well it actually works?

[lish2]

When I took high school bio and we did staining, we used methyl blue. Not as effective as ethidium bromide, but safe enough to let highschoolers play with, and you can see the results in plain light.

Re:Anyone know how well it actually works?

[Rich0]

It doesn't chemically modify the DNA - it just sticks to it (it stacks in-between the steps in the DNA "staircase" - the dye is flat just like the steps are).

The problem is that when a DNA replication enzyme shows up when the cell needs to divide, it has trouble reading the DNA because of all the dye molecules stuck to the DNA.

So it is only a problem if you want to copy the DNA. Generally you just stain it to get it to show up on a gel, and then you take a photo and toss the whole thing in the trash.

If you want to recover the DNA and do something with it you have to try to get rid of the stain - otherwise you will have problems.

Re:Anyone know how well it actually works?

[Rich0]

Another poster gave a good explanation of the applications of sequencing. I'll give you a quick explanation of how it is done:

1. Obtain a pure sample of DNA to sequence. You have to know a little bit of the sequence at the start (not a problem - when you sequence an unknown DNA sample you usually chop it up into bite-sized chunks and insert them into bits of bacterial DNA to make lots of copies of them - this means the unknown DNA has bacterial DNA on either end of it and you already know the sequence of that part).

2. Make a short strand of DNA that binds to the known portion of DNA sequence at the start of unknown portion. These are called primers.

3. Mix the DNA to be sequenced with the primers, heat them up and cool them. This results in long pieces of uknown DNA with the primers stuck to the beginning.

4. Throw in the building blocks of DNA - but a small portion of them are essentially defective and marked with fluorescent tags.

5. Throw in DNA replicating enzymes - these guys look for primers and try to copy the unknown DNA starting at the side of the DNA with the primers attached.

The DNA replicating enzymes will copy the DNA until they accidentally grab a building-block which is defective (which happens a small portion of the time - since most of the building blocks in the mixture work fine). At that point the defective building block is attached to the end of the DNA strand and that strand cannot be copied further.

At the end you end up with a mix of DNA strands that look like:

1. Only one step of the DNA ladder copied - because the first block grabbed was defective.
2. Only two steps copied - the second block was defective.
3. Three blocks copied. ...
N. The whole strand is copied.

Each of these DNA strands is one step longer than the strand before it. Each has a fluorescent tag at the end - since each ends with a defective block.

You then put this mix of partial strands onto a gel and apply an electrical current - the bigger strands move through the gel more slowly (they get stuck in the pores in the gel).

You end up with a gel with a long ladder-like series of bands - each band is a DNA strand one step longer than the band before it. Each is fluorescently tagged.

Now here is the magic - back when you put the defective building blocks in you actually used a mixture of four blocks (the four types of steps in DNA) each with a different color tag on it. So each band is a different color - corresponding to the color of the last step that was added to the chain. The pattern of colors corresponds to the sequence of the DNA.

I tried to simplify this explanation for those with only a basic understanding of biochemistry. There are various ways of doing DNA sequencing, and these days much of it is automated.

Oh - where the computers come in is this:

A gel like the one I described can only handle pieces of DNA up to about 400 steps long. That means that you can only sequence 400 bases at a time (a base is a step in the DNA ladder). A human being has 4 billion bases in their DNA.

The way you sequence the whole human genome is to chop it up into lots of 400 base units. You actually take lots of copies of the human genome and chop it into lots of random pieces. Then you sequence pieces until you're sequenced about 40 billion bases. Then you have a computer run through the sequences looking for overlaps. The computer will find lots of regions that are sequenced several times, and some regions that weren't sequenced at all. However, it will give you a pretty good sequence of the overall genome, and then some careful followup work can fill in the gaps (the followup work is less easily automated, so they try to get most of it using the random method).

Re:Anyone know how well it actually works?

[Hatta]

Good post. You're right that most of the big picture stuff is far away, but sequence information is currently extremely important to the practicing biochemist. As a pharmacology (though in practice biochemistry) grad student, I use sequence data all the time. Just like genetics can be used to trace the phylogeny of organisms, it can also trace the phylogeny of proteins. So suppose you have novel protein Foo, you can check for sequence homologies against known proteins. Suppose we find that Foo has an 86% homology to protein Bar. Now Bar is, say, an enzyme that processes sulfhydryls, has 2 phosphorylation sites, and binds to cofactor Baz. There are 3 real easy hypotheses there. Without the homology search you might work on Foo for years before identifying such important characteristics.

Re:Anyone know how well it actually works?

[feralyn]

Lol, they will probably just get something that resembles seaweed. (That's what I got my first try in college anyway.)

Re:Anyone know how well it actually works?

[Anonymous Coward]

some guy trying to sell us a realtime pcr machine said sybr green just binds to the dna groves, and doesn't intercolate like etbr.

More Christmas gifts

[The Old Burke]

..over at Anandtech

Re:More Christmas gifts

[Anonymous Coward]

Proud patriot and republican voter.

So stop voting for the neo-cons then. They've taken over the Republican party.

i h8 it...

[Anonymous Coward]

when I get here early and have to RTFA instead of the posts

Quick!

[Seft]

Send in the Clones...

For Free?

[Anonymous Coward]

Why pay when you can do it for free?

Re:For Free?

[Anonymous Coward]

That only shows how to extract DNA, which is the easy part. Comparing DNA sequences is a bit more difficult.

Re:For Free?

[IncarnadineConor]

1. Gather together a banana, an onion, a chicken liver, salt, warm water, a blender, liquid soap, toothpicks, a strainer, a glass jar and rubbing alcohol.
2. Cut your banana, onion and liver into tiny pieces.
3. Place your banana pieces in the blender, add a teaspoon of salt and slightly cover the mixture with warm water.
4. Mix in the blender for 5 to 10 seconds making sure the mixture is not too runny.
5. Pour the mixture into the glass jar through the strainer. You want the jar to be about half full.
6. Add about 2 teaspoons of liquid soap and gently stir the mixture. You should try not to create bubbles when stirring.
7. Carefully pour the rubbing alcohol down the side of the glass stopping near the top.
8. Wait for 5 minutes.
9. Use the toothpicks to extract the DNA that floats to the surface.
10. Repeat this procedure for the onion and the chicken liver.


Because I'd rather not stick my hand in a blender.

Re:For Free?

[shotfeel]

But they aren't comparing any sequences. There not doing any actual sequencing at all, which is why they call it a "DNA Explorer", not a sequencer -its the article that gets that basic fact wrong. Based on what I read, seems like all they're doing is comparing the size and number of chromosomes. Cool, but not really a big deal.

Re:For Free?

[Hatta]

What part of that protocol requires you to stick your hand in a blender?

Re:For Free?

[ralphclark]

Wrong. The kits don't do sequencing, but they do genetic fingerprinting. That's where you do gel-based electrophoresis, ending up with those banded strips. The position and relative separation of the bands shows the relative size of the DNA fragments following a polymerase reaction (the enzyme mentioned in the advertorial). These geometries differ between individuals because locations of the "weak points" found by the "restricted" polymerases depend on your precise base sequence.

usefull for math class

[Anonymous Coward]

does this thing solve series as well as sequences?

Nice 'gift' for christmas

[HansF]

Now, your kids can check if you are their real father for themselves.
I think a lot of kids wil be very happy with this information.

Re:Nice 'gift' for christmas

[telekon]

Unfortunately, this thing isn't fine enough to extract enough usable genetic material from blood... so the trick will be getting a tissue sample from daddy after he passes out from one too many glasses of eggnog.

Re:Nice 'gift' for christmas

[YanceyAI]

What's more dangerous? Junior with the chemsitry set that can blow up the garage, or Junior with the goods to blackmail mom...

Re:Nice 'gift' for christmas

[MaxiCat_42]

I would worry more about Junior playing with the toy car running on gas with 'nitoglycerine' added. I think they meant to say nitromethane.

Re:Nice 'gift' for christmas

[Deanasc]

That's a big part of the reason they don't do blood typing in science classes anymore. Most people think it's because of the AIDS scare but really it's because in almost every class some kid would discover there was no way his (or her) father was real. Some fathers knew... Some didn't.

Re:Nice 'gift' for christmas

[Inda]

I saw that too and wondered if they meant Nitrous-oxide (laughing gas). 'tis the normal thing you you mix with fuel to create that 'added kick'.

Definately not nitroglycerine, that's for sure. :)

Re:Nice 'gift' for christmas

[Hentai]

That isn't the first thing I thought of when I saw this.

My first thought was, "Great, now how can I rig this up into a quick viral infection test?"

Imagine the social impacts of a 5-minute, DNA-based 'home STD test', that was as reliable as those 'home pregnancy tests' you get at the supermarket. Find a hottie at the bar, go home, prick your fingers, compare bands and you're good for a wild night of bareback.

It'd be the 70's all over again.

Re:Nice 'gift' for christmas

[AmigaAvenger]

neither... Models run off nitromethane, from 0% up to about 30%. (higher also, but those are the common ones.) also toss in 10%-20% oil, either synthetic or castor, and the rest is methyl alcohol.

Re:Nice 'gift' for christmas

[GoRK]

They do have a 20 minute "instant" test for HIV anyway that is an oral test. I don't know about other STD's but it's probably just a matter of getting the right proteins in the strip.

Anyway the company that makes it is called OraSure. I believe it is pretty expensive, but the accuracy is supposed to be pretty high.

Re:Nice 'gift' for christmas

[Hentai]

Sweet... expensive, yes, but just what I need for my harem's quality assurance department.

Great Idea ...

[the real darkskye]

until little jamie finds out that he and daddy share no genetic material, before this gets released, let me buy shares in the paper divorce orders are printed on ...
;)

Re:Great Idea ...

[Anonymous Coward]

Dec 27th: Today Jamie resequenced the dog. Results unknown, but I am very afraid.

DIY Paternity kits?

[davecl]

Will this kit be able to do genetic testing for paternity? If some stidues are right, then many people do not have the father they think they have. Having home genetic testing for this could produce some very interesting results...

Misleading

[SimianOverlord]

So, this kit extracts some DNA, purifies it and runs it out on some kind of gel, then stains it. DNA sequencing my ass. Still, it's pretty neat - though I wouldn't want any kid of mine fiddling around with DNA dyes, most of them are nasty stuff.

Re:Misleading

[Jonathan]

Yeah, it's not sequencing -- it's just traditional 1970's style molecular biology. But you're right about dyes. Anything that can intercalate into DNA probably is a good mutagen.

Family Secrets

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm goign to check the DNA of all my friends and that of their parents! That's going to be interesting...

Also known as...

[cspenn]

Home paternity test only $100!

You've got to love the free market.

Accuracy-wise, it'll be interesting to see if the device produces any meaningful results - if it does, it might actually change the nature of the legal system. Lawyers and their ilk could afford to quickly and easily introduce "DNA test results" without regard to where the source material came from, and the public - which has little to no knowledge of DNA testings (witness the OJ trial) - may very well go for it, not knowing that a $100 Christmas toy did the testing.

Re:Also known as...

[NickFitz]

Lawyers and their ilk could afford to quickly and easily introduce "DNA test results" without regard to where the source material came from

It doesn't work that way. In order for such results to be admissible in court, a chain of custody of the evidence has to be established. What this basically comes down to is that a medical profesional has to swear an affidavit that they collected the samples, sealed them and ensured that they went to the lab without any possibility of any of the parties in the case being able to tamper with them.

I took a home paternity test last year, which came out negative. If it had been positive, the mother would still have had no legal grounds for getting child support from me. It would have been necessary (from a legal point of view) for a properly supervised test to have been performed.

(Mind you, if he had been my child, I wouldn't have been such an absolute bastard as to turn my back on my responsibilities. The mother herself suggested that we carry out the test. And she is a lawyer.)

Chucky doll?

[arcanumas]

From the article:

Mommy's Little Mouthpiece Teddy Ruxpin goes wireless. Plug Wabi's transmitter into a phone jack, call a designated toll-free number, and record a message. At selected intervals, the transmitter collects the data and sends it to the ursine bot's receiver over a 900-MHz signal. The bear giggles when it gets a message, and your kid simply presses its badge to play the audio. "Hi, Billy! Mommy and Daddy don't love you anymore. I'm in charge now, and things are going to change around this house, dammit!"

Great. Now we can give them Chucky Doll for present.
If only i had something like that when my little sister annoyed me.

Re:Chucky doll?

[Bobulusman]

I was looking at this list a few weeks ago, and I concluding that thing was the creepiest toy ever. ...

Of course, I would probably use it by locking the "play" switch on and tormenting some kid, yeah.

Science Education

[kautilya]

I think these toys definitely have *some* educational value.

Re:Fisher Price Cloning tsarkon reports

[Anonymous Coward]

THE US got Saddam. Your evil overlords- those who run Islamic nations, Extreme Left-Wing Socialists experimenting with the lives of their countrymen, and Communists, killing human spirit and progress and legislating mediocrity - will be deconstructed and destroyed. You cannot impose your foul cults on the progressive world. You will be found and stamped out sometimes with force, sometimes under the weight of your own corruption (just like Nicolae Ceausescu.) Also, Communists and Far-Left Socialists, you will be shown to be the frauds you are and your failing systems will buckle under the system of economic imperialism and power. We will defeat you all until you capitulate into acting like human beings and worrying about your family, your children, their success and their future and human progress before your cults, religions and nationalism. We will expose the cults and the frauds you are and when you capitulate to the progressive west your standard of living will rise and the lies of your dictators will be exposed. FREEDOM from your cults and oppression, and you Socialist armchair assholes who think they can think for me and everyone else like Soros and other rich, communistic disgusting scum, we will triumph over you. We will not let you suppress our excellence, your drive to success and explore and to win in the game of life and to preserve the human species viability as an organism. Stand in the way and either DIE or progress with us.

Talk about miniturization...

[telekon]

What amazes me is how tiny the stuff is... the centrifuge is this little test-tubdee holder with a bell jar ovewr it.

It sure beats trying to put the wshing-mchine sized behemoths a lot of labs use for this application under the christmas tree... and those things can rock themselves across the room. Just imagine Junior getting caught between that and the wall.

Re:Talk about miniturization...

[Hatta]

The big washing machine centrifuges go a hell of a lot faster than can, 20000 RPM or greater. They're really quite easy to use, only problem is the high G forces can sometimes cause your sample to leak out the lid if you've filled the bottles too high. But most of the time we use the small tabletop centrifuges, they go around 10k RPM, are smaller than a dorm room microwave, and the newer ones are quieter than my computer. Now that's a nice piece of equipment.

Modding the Airzooka

[AndroidCat]

The Airzooka vortex gun is interesting, but I bet that you could have a lot more fun by injecting a flammable gas/liquid into the vortex, and then igniting it either after launching or when it hits a target.

Don't try this at home kids -- try this at someone else's home!

Re:Modding the Airzooka

[Cyno01]

It doesn't work too well, when you light the ring, it doesn't ignite evenly, it just sorta flashes upward from the point where you ignited it, no flaming rings shooting across the room, as cool as that would be.

Re:Modding the Airzooka

[AndroidCat]

If it's dangerous and geeky, someone on Slashdot will have tried it. :^P Did you try firing an unlit ring at a candle across the room?

Re:Modding the Airzooka

[iggymanz]

How about feeding the device with propane or acetylene, and mounting an inductive spark-gap igniter about 2' from the opening.

Re:Modding the Airzooka

[fraggleyid]

just fire the propane at a target who is standing near of a source of conflagration.

Re:Modding the Airzooka

[mlush]

A better/safer mod for the airzooker is to put a tissue with a drop of mercaptoethanol and fire smell rings at unsuspecting passers by

WARNING /. Gestapo turns in ACs to FBI tsarkon

[Anonymous Coward]

WARNING, SLASHDOT NOW TIES AC COMMENTS WITH USER
(Use a disposable account from a disposable IP before moderating this up. Editors generally watch and see who moderates controversial things like this up.)

When you are logged in, /. ties your user account to any Anonymous Coward postings you make... Thus they know who posted it. To demonstrate this:

1. Get mod points.
2. Post an AC comment while logged in
3. Change your dynamic ip, clear all cookies
4. Log back in and try to moderate your AC comment... you can't!!!

Please *log out* AND use another browser before making your AC comments.
Your UID is being tracked, it's not Anonymous. Lots of people post lots of things to Slashdot as AC only because they believe it is really anonymous - it isn't. They hunt "trolls" (non-karma whores and non-group thinking bots) down.

This is true. I used to be a bit more freestyle and witty AC and be a nice guy logged in [basically a karma whore]. After a short while, I could no longer moderate. Slashdot does brand AC posts with IP and then map them back to users. They lie about AC, AC doesn't exist if you re-use ip addresses.

Big brother is watching. So while I might be a "troll" a lot of the AC things I said were to protect myself from Slash-bot groupthink. They punished me for voicing my opinion freestyle.

They also revoke moderation FOREVER - $rtbl it is called, for any moderations of any post that have been secretly flagged annoying [Slashcode has hidden flags viewable by editors]. If you *EVER* mod up something an editor secretly marked annoying you NEVER moderate again, ever - ever even if your karma is capped.

Also, Slashdot uses the friends system to track "trolls." Mark a troll you find funny as a friend *bang* $rtbl never to moderate ever again. My real account had many many good friends who had good karma, and a few funny trolls later, no more moderation for that account. Again, Slashdot is spying on its users to make the people who find certain things funny ineligible to moderate. You will never moderate again if you are a friend of a "foe or freak" of an editor.

FACT: This is in Slashcode CVS

Revision 1.7.2.5 / (download) - annotate - [select for diffs] , Thu Feb 8 13:12:32 2001 UTC (2 years, 9 months ago) by pudge
Branch: bender
CVS Tags: v1_1_3_0
Changes since 1.7.2.4: +18 -7 lines
Diff to previous 1.7.2.4 to branchpoint 1.7

log more AC info

So AC is a scam here. Hitler-Malda screws AC posts in the caboose. So now all you can do is go 100% AC, or , as they expect you to, KARMA WHORE. And it is so lame and unfair and probably illegal as they lie about anonymity.

Also, sometimes when certain information becomes an active thread, they bitchslap the thread much later so that people think its "safe" to participate and the whole thing gets slapped.

There is a presumption anonymous means something. They lie like rugs to the posting public by using the word anonymous. It is not. They brazenly lie though and the un-assuming poster is having everything he says correlated with him and stored in a computer just waiting to be subpoenaed by the people that Slashdot claims to hate but works for. They work for the fascist forces and components of the US government. I like the US and other Western governments but they have good and bad components - there are things you need to do to protect yourself from the bad components. Basically "covering your ass" so to speak. At Slashdot, in lying about AC, un-protects its posting public (seeding a de-anonymizing privacy stripping pandemic in their own "little" way). This makes Slashdot a very dangerous target for you the posters to have your "anonymous" information subpoenaed and you to be chased down and persecuted for speaking your mind. I think that it is a joke Slashdot editors post about SCO, MSFT, RIAA, MPAA, TIA, FBI, etc. They do the same fascist big-brotherly th

Re:WARNING /. Gestapo turns in ACs to FBI tsarkon

[Anonymous Coward]

Well, that explains how I lost my moderator privs all that time ago.

Dunno

[Anonymous Coward]

can't say anything more clear, but I feel the same. No problem with any person, however kinky he/she/"it" may be. Okay, some people make me at least raise an eyebrow or silently giggle, especially drag queens or any overly styled snobs, but no problem talking to anyone or being at least 85% fair when dealing with them. :)

But I've got serious acceptance problems with people of sub-par culture. People that are too closely resembling their animal ancestors or that seem to exist only to show off. This feeling is strongest against niggers, religious fanatics and arab towelheads.

Messy?

[Zorgoth]

I am curious how powerful the centrifuge is in this thing. My mom worked in a med-lab and they had centrifuge repair guys on call in case one started to make funny noises. Unstable high RPM systems of blood and glass can get a little nasty.

Re:Messy?

[Sgt York]

It's probably just like the R2D2's (they look like R2D2) most people have on their benches. Little domed things not useful for much other than making sure everything is at the bottom of the tube before you open it, and maybe packing beads to the bottom of a slurry. The clinical centrifuge your mom uses is most likely middle of the road as far as power goes.

Boring !

[rcastro0]

DNA Sequencing ? As Homer Simpson would put it, "Boring !" I mean, "see kid, this barcode is different from this barcode, this is a black bean DNA and this is a green pea DNA", "dad, can't I go back to my playstation ?".

But, hey, I would like to play with them Pixel Blocks myself ! (from the same wired review).

Re:Boring !

[AbbyNormal]

hehe...Now a Fisher Price DNA combining kit, THAT would be something cool.

"Dad, check this out! I extracted some blood from a mosquito encased in amber and added it to some frog eggs that I found...Hey, they hatched!!! Where did my little baby go?"

ROARRRRRR

Re:Boring !

[FueledByRamen]

No matter how technically incorrect the proceedurees described in the original Jurassic Park, we all know that when a home DNA-combining kit is released, there'll be a worldwide shortage of "defective" amber...

Re:Boring !

[GlassHeart]

DNA Sequencing ? As Homer Simpson would put it, "Boring !" I mean, "see kid, this barcode is different from this barcode, this is a black bean DNA and this is a green pea DNA", "dad, can't I go back to my playstation ?".

Most scientific experiments are boring until you understand the underlying principles. If you drop two balls of different weights from a tower, would they hit the ground at the same time? If you don't understand the point of the experiment, then you're just dropping balls from a building.

Few things are as intrinsically interesting as video games. That's why children need parents and teachers, not just games.

GREASED UP YODA DOLL and MAJOR TOM tsarkon reports

[Anonymous Coward]

9 steps to greasing your anus for Yoda Doll Insertion!
v 4.02.0
$YodaBSD: src/release/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/yodanotes/9steppro cess.sgml,v 4.02.0 2003/12/05 14:15:45 tsarkon Exp $

1. Defecate. Preferably after eating senna, ex lax, prunes, cabbage, pickled eggs, and Vietnamese chili garlic sauce. Defecation could be performed in the Return of the Jedi wastebasket for added pleasure.
2. Wipe ass with witch hazel, soothes horrific burns. (Rob "CmdrTaco" Malda can use witch-hazel on mouth to soothe the horrific burns from performing so much analingus.)
3. Prime anus with anal ease. (Now Cherry Flavored for those butthole lick-o-phillic amongst you - very popular with 99% of the Slashdotting public!)
4. Slather richly a considerable amount of Vaseline and/or other anal lubricants into your rectum at least until the bend and also take your Yoda Doll , Yoda Shampoo bottle or Yoda soap-on-a-rope and liberally apply the lubricants to the Doll/Shampoo/Soap-on-a-rope.
5. Pucker your balloon knot several times actuating the sphincter muscle in order to work it in.
6. Put a nigger do-rag on Yoda's head so the ears don't stick out like daggers!
7. Make sure to have a mechanism by which to fish Yoda out of your rectum, the soap on the rope is especially useful because the retrieval mechanism is built in.
8. Slowly rest yourself onto your Yoda figurine. Be careful, he's big!
9. Gyrate gleefully in your computer chair while your fat sexless geek nerd loser fat shit self enjoys the prostate massage you'll be getting. Think about snoodling with the Sarlaac pit. Read Slashdot. Masturbate to anime. Email one of the editors hoping they will honor you with a reply. Join several more dating services - this time, you don't check the (desired - speaks English) and (desired - literate). You figure you might get a chance then. Order some fucking crap from Think Geek. Get Linux to boot on a Black and Decker Appliance. Wish you could afford a new computer. Argue that IDE is better than SCSI because you can't afford SCSI. Make claims about how Linux rules. Compile a kernel on your 486SX. Claim to hate Windows but use it for Everquest. Admire Ghyslain's courage in making that wonderful star wars movie. Officially convert to the Jedi religion. Talk about how cool Mega Tokyo is. Try and make sure you do your regular 50 story submissions to Slashdot, all of which get rejected because people who aren't fatter than CowboyNeal can't submit. Fondle shrimpy penis while making a Yoda voice and saying, use the force, padawan, feeel the foooorce, hurgm. Yes. Yes. When 900 years you reach, a dick half as big you will not have.

All in a days work with a Yoda figurine rammed up your ass.

I HAVE A GREASED UP YODA DOLL SHOVED UP MY ASS!

GO LINUX!!

Tux is the result after trimming Yoda's ears off so that Lunix people don't rip themselves a ne

Wouldn't it be funny

[nnnneedles]

"Luke, I'm NOT your father after all"

"NOOOOOOOOOO" *cries like a girl*

Re:Chucky doll? JUNIS KANUNI speak with tsarkon

[Anonymous Coward]

Congratulations from Afghanistan! Here
in my village when I was telling all
the people that Saddam was captured
there was much rejoicing! We are loving
the Americans so much and so all the
people of the USA are dear to us. We
the people of Kazdakistan wish you the
peace and nice life you deserve and
any years of happiness. May the taste
always remain as sweet as the milk of
the Goat!

YOUR FRIEND,

-JUNIS IN AFGHANISTAN

PS. I WRITE BOOK ABOUT WAR FROM AFGHAN
PERSPECTIVE LOOK AT IT ON AMAZON.

A Toy

[QueenOfSwords]

Could any biochemists comment on the likely limitations of this kit? Ok, obviously it's a toy, but what limitations look like they've been placed on this thing? I know we're all making jokes about 'Daddy's not junior's father' but sadly :) I can't see this thing having the resolution to provide that much information.
Obviously it won't have the more dangerous chemicals mentioned previously, and sample purity would be a bit of a joke, but I'm curious as to how well, if at all, this thing would work, and how?

Re:A Toy

[Marcus Brody]

DNA quality would be poor... but good enough to be usable in the laboratory. It basic cell-lysis, seperation of organic/inorganic phases and alcohol-precipitation of DNA.

You could use this for PCR, and then do many things with it. You could potentially have a "deluxe" version of the kit for $1000 dollars, including:

1. Basic thermocylcer
2. Reagents/Enzyme for PCR
3. Primers for PCR
4. Reagents/Enzyme for restriction digestion

The kit could then be used for (basic, potentially problematic) paternity testing.

Re:A Toy

[Johnny Mnemonic]

The kit could then be used for (basic, potentially problematic) paternity testing.

As I'm sure you realize, there are other issues besides the science--unless you can interpret the results as easily as on an EPT test, you'll get more lawsuits than'll be worthwhile.

Re:A Toy

[desolation angel]

As part of an academic dept. I run a DNA Sequencing service & this kit will not give you DNA sequence information. As another reply mentions this kit will just separate out the DNA according to molecular weight, which in itself is pretty boring. All you will get is a smear of DNA, which to be honest will look like a bird dropping.

Re:A Toy

[axlrosen]

It basic cell-lysis, seperation of organic/inorganic phases and alcohol-precipitation of DNA.

Which is... what?

You could use this for PCR

Which is... what?

Re:A Toy

[rhombic]

You forgot to add $500 to Perkin-Elmer for a PCR license ;)

Re:A Toy

[Anonymous Coward]

RTFM.

Sorry, sorry..... just couldnt help the opputinity to get me own back on all you techies.... hehehehe

THE FINAL SOLUTION

[Anonymous Coward]

Das was wir in unseren R*stungsbetrieben leisten ... wird, wenn wir es auch erst am Schluss des Krieges ... aufrechnen k*nnen, dartun k*nnen, eine sehenswerte und beachtliche Leistung sein. Ich will auch ein ganz schweres Kapitel ... will ich hier vor Ihnen in aller Offenheit nennen. Es soll zwischen uns ausgesprochen sein, und trotzdem werden wir nicht in der *ffentlichkeit nie dar*ber reden. Genau so wenig, wie wir am 30. Juni gez*gert haben, die befohlene Plicht zu tun und Kameraden, die sich verfehlt hatten, an die Wand zu stellen und zu erschiessen, wie wir dar*ber niemals gesprochen haben und sprechen werden. Das war so eine Gottseidank in uns wohnende Takt, Selbstverst*ndlichkeit des Taktes, dass wir uns untereinander nie dar*ber unterhalten haben, nie dar*ber sprachen, es hat jeden ... geschauert und jeder war sich klar, dass er es das n*chste Mal wieder tun w*rde, wenn es befohlen wird und wenn es notwendig ist.

iji iji iji iji iji iji jtiji iji iji iji iji iji
iji iji iji iji iji ijjDMNQtiji iji iji iji iji ij
iji iji iji iji iji cXMNMNMNQjiji iji iji iji iji
iji iji iji iji ijcSMNMNMNMNHJiji iji iji ij iji ij
iji iji iji iji iSWMNMNMNMHJiji iji iji ij iji iji
iji iji iji iji6WMNMNMNMNYiji iji Jciji iji iji ij
iji iji iji i5WMNMNMNMN5iji iji JHMNSc iji iji iji
iji iji iji5NMNMNMNMW5iji iji JHMNMN MWSiji iji iji
iji iji ijcXMNMNMNMNNYiji ijtKMNMN MNMNMW6iji iji i
iji iji iji jDMNMNMNMNHJijtQMNMN MNMNMNMNMW5iji iji
iji itciji iji QMNMNMNMNKDMNMN MNMNQWMNMNMNMN5iji i
ijitKMWSiji iji jQMNMNMNMNMN MNMNQtijSWMNMNMNMNYiji
itQMNMNMW6iji iji tKMNMNMN MNMNKtiji icSMNMNMNMNHJi
iJHMNMNMNMW6iji ijcSMNMN MNMNMNDjiji ijicXMNMNMNN5i
ijiYNMNMNMNMN5ijiSWMNM MNMNMNMNMNDciji ijicDMNW6iji
iji i5NMNMNMNMNSWMNM MNMNHNMNMNMNMNXciji iji 5iji i
iji iji5WMNMNMNMNM MNMNN5ij5NMNMNMNMNSciji iji iji
iji iji i6WMNMNM MNMNW5iji ij6WMNMNMNMWSiji iji iji
iji iji ijiSWM MNMNW6iji iji tKMNMNMNMNXciji iji ij
iji iji iji cSMNWSiji iji tQMNMNMNMNDjiji iji iji
iji iji ij iji c6ciji iji QMNMNMNMNQjiji iji iji ij
iji iji iji iji iji ijjDMNMNMNMNQtiji iji iji iji
iji ij iji iji iji ijcXMNMNMNMNKtiji iji iji iji ij
iji iji iji iji iji jQMNMNMNHJiji iji iji iji iji
ij iji iji iji iji iji tKMNHJiji iji iji iji iji ij
iji iji iji iji iji iji tYiji iji iji iji iji ij ij

Ich meine die Judenevakuierung, die Ausrottung des j*dischen Volkes. Es geh*rt zu den Dingen, die man leicht ausspricht. "Das j*dische Volk wird ausgerottet", sagt Ihnen jeder Parteigenosse, "ganz klar, steht in unserem Programm drin, Aus...schaltung der Juden, Ausrottung, machen wir, pfah!, Kleinigkeit". Und dann kommen sie alle, alle die braven 80 Millionen Deutschen, und jeder hat seinen anst*ndigen JudenSagt: alle anderen sind Schweine, und hier ist ein prima Jude. Und ...... zugesehen, es durchgestanden hat keiner. Von Euch werden die meisten wissen, was es heisst, wenn 100 Leichen beisammen liegen, wenn 500 daliegen oder wenn 1000 daliegen. Und ... dies ... durchgehalten zu haben, und dabei - abgesehen von menschlichen Ausnahmeschw*chen - anst*ndig geblieben zu sein, hat uns hart gemacht und ist ein niemals genanntes und niemals zu nennendes Ruhmesblatt, denn wir wissen, wie schwer wir uns t*ten, wenn wir heute noch in jeder Stadt bei den Bombenangriffen, bei den Lasten des Krieges und bei den Entbehrungen, wenn wir da noch die Juden als geheime Saboteure, Agitatoren und Hetzer h*tten. Wir w*rden wahrscheinlich in das Stadium des Jahres 16/17 jetzt gekommen sein, wenn die Juden noch im deutschen Volksk*rper s*ssen.
Die Reicht*mer, die sie hatten, haben wir ihnen abgenommen, und ... ich habe einen strikten Befehl gegeben, den Obergruppenf*hrer Pohl durchgef*hrt hat, wir haben diese Reicht*mer restlos dem Reich, dem Staat abgef*hrt. Wir haben uns nichts davon genommen. Einzelne, die sich verfehlt haben, di

Re:THE FINAL SOLUTION

[Anonymous Coward]

YHBT by the FPer,
YHL
GTH
(AH)

Distributed Genome Variability Analysis

[G4from128k]

It would seem that products like this one (or maybe slightly more professional versions) would eventually support distributed human genome sequencing efforts by individuals. More data on the DNA sequences of more people would help scientists, biomed, and pharma types understand the genetic variability of people.

I guess the next frontier is Sequencing@Home with people bragging about how many of their own base pairs or chromosomes they have sequenced.

Re:Distributed Genome Variability Analysis

[Rich0]

Home equipment will have to get a LOT better to compete with the professional lab.

The sequencers that are used to sequence genomes these days cost about $100k and require 15 minutes of operator time per day. They can conduct about 100 sequencing operations simultaneously. Each cycle takes probably a few hours at most. Each cycle generates around 600 bases of useful sequence. So one of these machines generates around 360 kilobases of DNA in a day (600 bases x 100 parallel operations x 6 sets of parallel operations per day).

Working manually a grad student using manual pipettes for mixing, and standard gel apparatus could probably do about 100 reactions in an 8-hour day. Maybe 200 if they're good. Those reactions would probably only be good for 300-400 bases (the human factor). The humans would waste far more reagents as well.

Keep in mind that the reactions do consume reagents - that aren't cheap. Actually, the two most common ways of labelling the DNA in sequencing are fluorescent tags (which require a laser to measure) or radioactivity (which cuts the productivity of your runs by 1/4th and of course involves radioisotopes in the same sink you wash your dishes in).

I don't see distributed sequencing working anytime soon. It is cheap on the industrial scale already, and there are big issues keeping it from working in the kitchen.

Re:Distributed Genome Variability Analysis

[shotfeel]

There's a long way to go to get there. Despite the headline, there is no sequencing going on. All you do with this kit is compare the size and number of chromosomes, as far as I can tell.

So if the letters on the page of a book are the "sequence", a book would be a gene, a library a chromosome, and all the branches of a library in a large city would be a genome. What this kit does is compare the number of libraries and their relative sizes in two or more big cities (say L.A. and N.Y.C.). It doesn't even come close to disclosing the contents of any given book (the genetic sequence).

Hope that helps put it in perspective.

home DNA test kits: bring 'em on

[Wansu]

This is a great way to show kids how DNA tests work. I'm all for anything that would help de-mystify DNA testing in the minds of the public. It's particularly gratifying to see that they'll discover it's ultimately a human being making a judgement call about what he or she sees with a microscope.

Re:home DNA test kits: bring 'em on

[MagnaMark]

No microscopes are involved in DNA testing, despite what you may have seen on CSI:Miami.

Although it is funny to imagine:

White coated scientist squinting into eyepiece: "OK, the next one's a T, and then two A's in a row, and then a G, or wait, is that a C? "

Re:home DNA test kits: bring 'em on

[Wansu]

No microscopes are involved in DNA testing, despite what you may have seen on CSI:Miami.

Then how's the comparison made?

Somehow they have to magnify the images of 2 DNA samples that are to be compared.

Re:home DNA test kits: bring 'em on

[Hatta]

Historically they separated digested DNA fragments on a gel which was big enough to view with the naked eye. I would expect now that they use capillary electrophoresis hooked up to an optical detector. DNA absorbs UV light, or they may attach a fluorescent probe, that's how sequencing machines do it. DNA fingerprinting is VERY good technology, and does not rely on humans making a judgement call. It's not perfect though, sample handling is extremely important.

good

[Rumagent]

Finally I can find that elusive gene for intimate knowlegde of d&d ver 3.5...

Now all I need is the gene for big breasts, blond hair and low standards, and I might end up with the perfect wife after all.

THE REAL QUESTION...

[Anonymous Coward]

Which kit does daddy need to buy to prove junior is his child. ;p

(List of items?)

It will tell you if you have DNA but not much else

[manganese4]

Well it will never give you a full dna report as you need to do more than just a simple gell. I am curious as to what the enzymes are. My guess is that they are specific for certain base patterns and cut the DNA into smaller pieces. (Alternatives they could be peptiases and just eat up the protein from the peas) The smaller pieces will transverse the gell faster than the larger pieces. So while the experiment will detect DNA all it will be able to report on is how many pieces of DNA you can create with the enzymes. Of course, if you do not know the enzyme, even this info will be useless.

No not Fisher Price...

[amstrad]

What's next, the Fisher Price Cloning kit?

No not Fisher Price... Fisher priced.

Sci-fi predicts reality

[digrieze]

Just bet you never thought Elroy Jetson would beat out Star Wars, first robots sweeping the carpet (ala Rosie) and now REAL SCIENCE PROJECTS!!!!!!!

Next comes the ejection-bed alarm system!

It's not DNA sequencing

[grouse]

Quite simply there is no sequencing ocurring. It's merely separation of DNA molecules. This will just tell you their size. There's not sufficient information in the article or the store blurb for me to figure out if restriction enzymes are being included, which would make things slightly more interesting. In the days before PCR and DNA sequencing was as easy as it is now, genetic tests were done via Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphisms, so your DNA would break up into differently sized bits depending on which sequence was present at a cutting site.

Re:It's not DNA sequencing

[mlush]

There's not sufficient information in the article or the store blurb for me to figure out if restriction enzymes are being included, which would make things slightly more interesting.

I suspect there are no restriction enzymes. Its extracting total genomic DNA from pea (with options for chicken liver) the DNA will appear as a smear on the gel regardless of digestion. Its probably extracting DNA by ethanol precipitation looking at the slimey mass of DNA going yuck , then running out a premade DNA ladder (ie mix of DNA of known sizes which would make a much nicer result). Coupled with that there are problems storing the enzymes (I can't think of any that could take prolonged room tempreature storage).

Re:It's not DNA sequencing

[Rich0]

the days before PCR and DNA sequencing was as easy as it is now, genetic tests were done via Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphisms

Actually, this technique is still the primary one used today, I believe. PCR is used to prep samples for RFLP, bt sequencing isn't generally used where it could become evidence in a court case (lawsuit or criminal).

The reason is that courts are all about precedence. Nobody wants to be the prosecution going into a case with a "brand new technique" that the defence will try to shoot holes in. Of course, these "brand new techniques" have been out for 10+ years now, but what do judges and juries know?

It's not sequencing, not even real DNA viewing!

[pgolik]

I took a little time to read the description of the kit on Discovery's website. It's much less than the /. post suggested. There's just some chemicals and a toy centrifuge to extract DNA. Actually there are ways to extract DNA with household chemicals, precipitate with isopropanol and spool on a glass or plastic rod. So far it's only DNA extraction, cool as a science-for-fun thing, but nothing new. The analysis part (with electrophoresis) seems to be fake (simulated, if you wish). The kit, according to the Discovery website contains "DNA stain (fabricated to mimic real DNA)". So, it's just a toy, cool, but nothing that'll allow Junior to test his paternity or do any real DNA analysis. There are educational kits that provide real DNA analysis in a classroom environment (like the Biotechnology Explorer program from BioRad), but they still require teacher's supervision.

Re:It's not sequencing, not even real DNA viewing!

[sjames]

It does appear to be 'simulated' which is unfortunate but understandable. DNA stain is extremely carcinogenic. Since it must bind to DNA to work, there's no way to avoid that.

Of course, they could do a better job of making it clear that the results are simulated.

Re:It's not sequencing, not even real DNA viewing!

[GoRK]

This is one of those times that you kind of wish there was some sort of moderation that said 'attach this comment to the article'.

~GoRK

I'll wait for Genester

[Anonymous Coward]

Swapping and trading DNA over the net, that's the ticket!

You have to be careful however. Last night I downloaded and cloned Madonna, but she just stood there screaming "What the hell do you think you're doing?". It turns out that companies post fake DNA to flood the network. Bummer! It was such a pain disassembling the clone afterwards too.

Re:I'll wait for Genester

[Stone316]

Man, that comment is freaking halarious.. I almost spewed my drink.

Re:I'll wait for Genester

[Lord_Dweomer]

"Swapping and trading DNA over the net, that's the ticket!"

While I couldn't help but laugh at your post, I also couldn't help but think of the serious truth it may hold. Imagine how the music world got flipped upside down by Napster and its ilk. Now we're seeing those 3D printers get cheaper and more powerful, they can even print electronic circuits now. How long before blueprints are traded over P2P and you simply download them and print out your new iPod?

But this REALLY gets interesting once gene therapy becomes mainstream. Imagine downloading some open source gene therapy off the net, and using it to add a glowing bioelectric, subdermal watch to your wrist? Now, the risks are very great with this, but the potential is there.

Man I love thinking about these possibilities, I just wish I had a job that paid me to think these things through.

Sounds great, butt....

[Anonymous Coward]

I have sex with dogs...

SEX WITH DOGS!

It is NOT a gene sequencer!!!

[genegeek]

Sorry, the poster and Wired got it wrong. The original source calls this a gene mapper. That probably means it includes restriction enzymes for cutting the DNA into chuncks. This is not the same as finding the primary sequence. Sequencing by all current common methods requires either radioactivity or a fluorescent laser detection device. Neither of which is likely to be provided for $80. (Or I'd buy it for my lab!!)

A small nit.

[toothfish]

I think you might mean 80 proof vodka-- 80% would be 160 proof. I didn't see any 160 proof booze when I was there, and I highly suspect even if they made it they'd have a hard time importing it into the US (where I happen to be).

I was hanging out with Polish folks too, and I don't think they were holding out on me.

Re:A small nit.

[mlush]

I think you might mean 80 proof vodka-- 80% would be 160 proof. I didn't see any 160 proof booze when I was there, and I highly suspect even if they made it they'd have a hard time importing it into the US (where I happen to be).

No I'm a molecular biologist I mean 80% by volume (160 proof) anything much less won't precipitate the DNA. I'm in the UK and can buy 80% vodka from my local supermarket. (I plan to buy a bottle and use it when doing demos for the university open day .... granted I'll empty the bottle and use the lab ethanol, but the appearance that counts.)

A little Googling gives me a 160 proof spirit Polmos Polish Pure Spirit (about half way down the page). Technically it may not be a vodka, in my travels I read the a vodka has to be between 80 and 110 by proof (OTOH my brain cells will probably not make the distinction:-). I also came across references that booze above 140 proof was illegal to sell in the US

Re:A small nit.

[Anonymous Coward]

Alcohol legality probably varies by state. In Indiana, I had no problem purchasing everclear (~190+ proof) at my local liquor store.

Re:A small nit.

[jebell]

FYI: Liquor laws vary from state to state and locality to locality. For example, when I lived in Florida, I couldn't buy alcohol that was over 153 proof, but when I lived in Kentucky, I legally purchased "pure" grain alcohol (190 proof) all the time.

Great Leap Forward

[kimmop]

Distributed genotyping sounds like a good idea at first but you should be woried about quality controls. I mean I've seen "Molecular biology for Computer Scientists (PhDs)" courses where people sequence their own (as in "..flesh and blood") samples and after a BLAST search find out that they are more of an E.Coli than Human.

Actually this remainds me of Chinas "Great Leap Forward" when Mao thought it would be a great idea to have people produce steel in their backyards. Needless to say the little steel produced was useless and lot of time and resources were waisted.

Re:Great Leap Forward

[bhima]

Yes, with current technology it is a waste. But with other technology it could be useful. For example bio-remediation or myco-remediation could easily be a back yard project or a massive billion square kilometer project.

I can see the ads now...

[jav1231]

"Yes, now before little Timmy is old enough to procreate he can find out if he's adopted!"

Watch out for Fisher Price

[frostman]

after they bought Microsoft, anything is possible...

The next biotech killer app?

[Savage-Rabbit]

What's next, the Fisher Price Cloning kit?

No, its the biotech killer app that will start a civil war in 10-15% (average region dependent) of all households on the planet ...

Over the counter, at your local drugstore, genetic paternity tests.......

Whoever markets the first reliable one will be richer than Bill Gates.

Re:The next biotech killer app?

[Tumbleweed]

That's right, kids, for only $100, you have the opportunity to hold your true parentage over your mom's head. With that kind of power, you can do anything you want!

Cool...

[Bif Powell]

That's one more thing to add to my list of 'stuff-that-scifi-authors-said-we-would-have-by-20 10'.

Fix your eyes with friggin' lasers.
Communications the size of a pack of smokes (cell phones)
Bluetooth
The Internet
Video Conferencing (and even Video Telephones)
Terrorists with WMDs
Robot that vaccuums

and now...Toys for Sequencing DNA for Junior. Heinlein et al would be proud :)

Still waiting for flying (or automatic/autopilot) cars, permanent station on Moon/Mars (I'll accept either), Cancer/Common-cold cure (I'll accept either), humanoid robot for menial tasks around the house, acceptable voice control/communications in conjunction with useful AI computing...etc...

Re:Cool...

[bhima]

sigh, I'm home with a cold, cleaning...

When is this supposed to happen. The electrolux vacuum is tempting though.

Re:Cool...

[bhima]

Wait! I just RTFA. I think the Marble Marvel thingy is way cool.

Christ I'm tuning into a luddite, and enjoying it. When do I get chucked off /.?

Worried.....

[UezeU]

Obviously no biochemists were involved if they call it "sequencing"

Hope they are smart enough to make the gel first and not include the ingredients for the litle ones

Search for polyacrylimide gel electrophoresis preperation to see what I mean, cause thats all this is

Apple Stuff

[bfg9000]

Did anyone else notice that all the celebrity "wish lists" were chock full of Apple stuff? I mean, nearly every person on there was drooling over one Apple product or another -- except Paris Hilton PhD, who doesn't want an iPod. She wants a telephone with a lie detector on it and a tv as big as a movie screen.

There is a definable link between Apple computers and intelligence, it seems.

Re:Apple Stuff

[Anonymous Coward]

That Paris Hilton is one hot retard.

Re:Apple Stuff

[Anonymous Coward]

LOL!!! True. After watching The Simple Life, I wouldn't expect any less of her, tho.

a bit more advanced version (No DIY though)

[fabio]

over at
www.iwoot.com
you can get a different but more professional dna in a tin kit
http://www.iwantoneofthose.com/ProductDetails.aspx ?language=en-GB&product=DNATIN&category=LIFE
its not DIY though, its a mail in DNA kit

old news: many DNA science projects

[peter303]

High school kids have been doing DNA projects in science fairs for a decade now as the technology trickles down. You dont even need access to a scientist's relative lab anymore.

Total nucleic acid

[howlatthemoon]

Right on, there would be likely nothing but a smear, even cutting it up would result in a smear because the huge number of overlapping fragments, but the kit includes DNA stain -- fabricated to mimic real DNA -- so I am guessing you will always get the same pattern. I suppose you could run it out on the gel, take a sample from the lane, and run that out in a lower %age agarose gel to separate things out.

However, this is a crude extract with no purification or isolation. Fingerprinting this kind of prep is worthless to answer questions other than is there nucleic acids in the sample unless they are including some sort of probe (highly unlikely). Fingerprinting entire genomes of multichromosomal organisms would not be something worth doing (beyond the gee-whiz factor) unless you move into doing blots, or if you worked with entities with single chromosomes such as bacteria or mitochondrial DNA. They include lambda DNA, maybe that let's them do a fingerprint, maybe with a double digest to do some mapping.

Given the fact that it appears that the DNA stain seems to be responsible for the pattern seen- the good news for parents fearful that Jane or Johnny might discover something about her/his parentage, everyone in the world will look like they have identical patterns- unless the kid is smart enough to figure out that it might mean the parents might be a little too closely related.

Re:Total nucleic acid

[Sgt York]

Most restriction enzymes cut frequently, if you used a 6-8 cutter, you'd get a smear. But you could use infrequent cutters (20+) and get some distinct bands, even from genomic DNA. That's probably what they provide.

The product site has info on how to get lambda (phage, I assume)DNA to cut & run, which would give you good banding patterns. Heck, I use lambda/HaeIII as my molecular weight marker.

Re:Total nucleic acid

[howlatthemoon]

I agree with your points, but as I remember the rare cutters are pretty expensive, but all my work is now in silico, so I am out of touch with pricing. I thought the same thing about the lambda included, but I am not sure what non-dangerous label could be used to get real bands (again, my distance from the lab is beginning to show). EtBr is not safe, SYBR green is less mutagenic, but would you trust a 10 yo with it? I see there is an other SYBR product called SYBR safe, with is not considered hazardous waste by the EPA, however anything that binds to DNA is a hazard at some level? All require UV light sources, and having received a couple gel illuminator tans in my younger, more stupid days, would worry about that, but it looks like they might have engineered the gel box to light only when the lid was on. If the ship date for the product was not Jan 16th, I'd be tempted to order it for my niece for the holidays and have her use it under my supervision. I think that would be the only way to get real answers.

Re:Total nucleic acid

[Sgt York]

I'm not familiar with the prices ofthe rare cutters, I have little use for them. Most of the others are faitly cheap now, though, so the rare cutters may be, too.

I agree on the SYBR dangers. In another post I postulated that they were using hemotoxylin. No uv needed, and it's non-mutagenic. It's nonspecific, and messy as hell, but who cares about that in this context?

Re:Total nucleic acid

[Suidae]

So, what happens if you dump EtBr on your fingers?

reminds me

[koekepeer]

of some kit one of my teachers always told about

one could get it on the internet (hoax or truth? no clue)

it was called 'be your own god' and contained all kinds of materials to clone genes for bacterial toxins and stuff. anthrax a go-go :\

anyways i suspect that, if it ever was available, it won't be now, given the whole 9-11 situation and the anthrax scares and all...

Re:reminds me

[danheskett]

I tell you what.. drop any farmer with some cows a quick note and you'll be able to find someone who has direct access to anthrax in no time..

It's not really a hugely deadly and/or rare find. It's pretty plain vanilla...

Re:reminds me

[koekepeer]

tell me about it... i am a molecular/cell biologist

i know about Bacillus antracis (though i won't bother to spellcheck the name now ;) )

but a kit with the things on plasmid (i presume) is a bit over the top don't you think? it made me wonder then... anyway now, with the sequence probably available at some genomics site (or is that protected too?) it would be a few dyas work to clone and express the (gene encoding the) toxin.

ah well.

blah

and blah

anyway, as i said, no clue whether it was just some urban legend or the truth...

Medical Privacy

[Roxton]

Yeah, there was a legal case not too long ago involving a woman who required a blood transfusion for her surgery. She told the doctor that she didn't want blood from anyone but an immediate relative. The doctor laughed her off and used conventional blood, and the woman got infected with HIV.

Patients have the right to limit the scope of their consent, so the woman won her case against the doctor. But no hospital would have placed the burden of blood identification on the immediate family because of related privacy issues. The ruling was that the woman should have had an the blood drawn from herself in advance of the surgery.

I thought that was a very insightful case. Hospitals are probably the last institution that really serve to protect your privacy. They're hardline ideologues on all kinds of things. Hell, the local hospital isn't even allowed to put up any images of Santa because it's a "religious icon." No star-topped Christmas trees either.

Re:Medical Privacy

[ClioCJS]

So I don't get it.. Did she get money or not? You said she won, but then you said they concluded she should have drawn from herself. Whic is it?

How do you do it?

[Stone316]

Statistically 3-4/10 children's fathers are not their biologically fathers... Next time my kid gets a cut I wouldn't mind running a few tests. :)

Re:It will tell you if you have DNA but not much e

[hyaline_sky]

Nucleases. Peptideases cut proteins which can be visualized on SDS gels, not TBE gels.

Cool, now I'm a step closer to that third arm ....

[Grizzlysmit]

yay :-D

Re:It will tell you if you have DNA but not much e

[manganese4]

Sorry got sloppy there at the end. I mentioned the peptidases to eat up everything else so that the "DNA" extract would be somewhat pure and then segued into dna cutting without changing enzymes.

Finally an answer....

[LuxFX]

....to the age old question by all the kids that never fit in, and always wondered if they were really adopted.

Monty Burns, is that you?

[Anonymous Coward]

source of conflagration? What century are you from?

What do you say when you drive your motor car to the local filling establishment, "You there, fill my tank with petroleum distillate and revulcanise my tires"?

Pro Athlete demographic!

[t0ny]

Home DNA test? Just the thing for those annoying paternity lawsuits!

In other news

[appleLaserWriter]

Non-Geeks have been performing stochastic DNA recombination for hundreds of thousands, perhaps even millions of years. It seems that the secret ingredient is...a girlfriend!

My plan

[Baron_Yam]

When my wife and I have kids, we're planning to get the children and ourselves DNA fingerprinted and put the images together in a picture frame for comparison.

Of course, I have no idea how accessible such services are, how expensive, or even what the process is called... still I think it'll look neat on the wall.

Fisher-Price Cloning Kit?

[Safety Cap]

I'd much rather have a Build-a-Man kit, which is for the serious hobbyist thank you.

Some would claim that creating clones with the Fisher-Price Clone Kit is nothing more than "Child's Play," wereas serious people (like William Tenn) would prefer a serious kit.

Remember, kids, only Build-a-Man can build a man!

when i was a kid ...

[nahemah]

shouldn't we make sure our kids speak english and read before doing something like this? if you're going to try to make children understand science, let them experiement with baking soda and vinegar like we did when i was a kid!

this new generation is going to boast the highest frequency of unethical children's toys ever. are we really proud of this?

Re:when i was a kid ...

[Hatta]

What sort of troll is this? Of course we should teach our children to read before getting something like this. Are you implying that this kit would stop kids from reading? Also, in what way is this unethical?

Re:when i was a kid ...

[nahemah]

no troll.. simply an observation. i am a parent. not implying anything, but i was more thinking along the lines of "what will they think of next" ... not a personal shot at anyone, so if you took offense, i cant really apologize since that's not the way it was intended.

it may not be unethical to some. while encouraging the education of science is good, it's also important to not put ideas in the minds of children that they may not understand. depending on what age the kid is, will determine how these things are interpreted. i personally think that too much knowledge introduced to children at a young age could be dangerous.

Re:when i was a kid ...

[Hatta]

You just have a strange way of expressing it I guess. I mean, if we were talking about tricycles here would you say "Don't you think we should teach our kids to walk first?"?

As for the ethicality, I don't see how anyone, anywhere, could ever see presenting scientific reality(DNA exists, you can do things with it) to a child as unethical. Sure a complex topic might confuse a child, but complexity may confuse an adult too, with a child you get more time to correct any misunderstandings. You also get a "compound interest" type effect. The more you understand, the more you can understand. And the earlier you start, the greater total comprehension you will achieve. So you're much better off teaching early, and not just letting the kid stay ignorant. Cause they won't just stay ignorant, they'll form their own misconceptions. This is how we end up with a populace that thinks astronauts didn't fly off the moon because they wore heavy boots.

wow, they still make the "green machine"

[GodWasAnAlien]

on that toy page, I saw this memory from
my childhood.
Driving with levers was fun.

Anyone else remember this.

Does she know this?

[Stone316]

Cause the only one to lose in that scenario is her. Any alterior motives on your part? :)

Re:Does she know this?

[Baron_Yam]

Of course she knows this!

Besides, women aren't stupid or ignorant - they can always insist that the 'other man' wear a condom. Just because you're the father of the child doesn't mean you're the only one having sex with the mother!

I didn't see any 160 proof booze when I was there

[exp(pi*sqrt(163))]

You weren't hanging out with the right Poles.

Helpful hint

[Anonymous Coward]

You meant ulterior not alterior.

It's one of those common ones people get wrong all the time, so I thought I'd point it out to the world. Nothin' personal, y'understand.

Ethidium Bromide (EtBr) (Was Total nucleic acid)

[howlatthemoon]

While, I don't want it on my fingers that directly would not hurt you like an acid, but if it were to get into your system through absorption through the skin or, more likely, ingestion, it intercalates (wedges itself into) the double helix of the DNA strand. That is useful because ethidium bromide (etbr) fluoresces making it possible to visualize the bands of DNA being separated. It is bad for living systems because it can interfere with DNA replication causing mutations (thus it's designation as a mutagen) that could increase the likelihood of cancer, birth defects, etc.

Blood Transfusions and HIV

[diaphanous]

The doctor laughed her off and used conventional blood, and the woman got infected with HIV

Can you provide some documentation for this anecdote? In the United States, the blood supply has been screened for HIV since 1985 and I assume all other 1st world countries have done the same. The risk of contracting HIV from a blood transfusion is about 1 in 90,000. With 4,000,000 transfusion recipients a year, there have probably been fewer than 1000 cases of HIV contracted through blood transfusions in the United States in the past 18 years.

~Philllip

ObSF: "Child's Play", William Tenn, 1947

[rpresser]

Listen to an adaption on Seeing Ear Theatre.

Cute toy, but...

[Throat constant]

I would still prefer to give my closest 'friends,' an Albert for Christmas.

DNA Sequencing

[Uplore]

Hey look mum! I DNA sequenced Cowboyneal

Forget Home Remedies

[Anonymous Coward]

Soon, no one will need home remedies for acne or headaches. Instead they can just sequence their DNA, fix any problems, and be done with it.

Divorce Rates to Increase

[ralphclark]

From the advertorial:

Watch your toothbrush: Frankenstein may figure out who Daddy really is (or isn't).

LOL! Fact is, numerous genetic studies have shown that a huge proportion of families include at least one child whose father isn't actually who he is supposed to be. The mind boggles: you'd think Dad could figure out he was being taken for a ride but apparently people are capable of fantastic acts of self deception.

These "toy" kits are likely to result in a significant increase in the divorce rate. You mark my words!