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Voyage To Sequence DNA From the World's Oceans

Posted by simoniker on from the blub-blub dept.

joehoya writes "Wired has an extensive article about an expedition with the goal of discovering new microbial species and new genes in the world's oceans. The expedition is led by J. Craig Venter, who is best known for his involvement in the race to sequence the Human Genome. This is a really fascinating expedition with a pretty high geek quotient. I know, as I set up many of the computer and other electronic systems aboard, and traveled with the expedition as far as the Pacific side of the Panama Canal. In fact, you can see me (ok, the side of my head) in one of the article's pictures, next to the Captain while helping to take a sea water sample."

4 of 121 comments (clear)

  1. Patents? by mangu · · Score: 4, Interesting

    If you think software patents are bad, then what about gene patents? It seems that a big part of any gene sequencing project these days is an effort to find patentable genes. How can one patent what has existed for thousands or millions of years in nature is beyond my comprehension...

    1. Re:Patents? by mmmmmhotpants · · Score: 3, Interesting

      No one ever patented the human genome. I agree, patenting what exists in nature has no merit.
      Nevertheless, I think gene/DNA sequence patents will be very important and fair. There are a handful of researchers today who engineering new proteins and genes which are better than anything found in nature; others create nano-machines built out of DNA/RNA sequences. After millions/billions of dollars of research, dedication, supercomputing, etc. I think these scientists and engineers have every right to claim a patent on their creation. At the present time writing biocode is many orders of magnitude more expensive than contributing to sourceforge (i.e. expensive scientific equipment vs. a PC). Without gene patents, unless you're Craig Venter or Paul Allen and just have money to play with for the sake of discovery, there is no motivation what-so-ever to create future theraputics and bio-devices.

      --

      can't sleep. clowns will eat me.
  2. Cool by John+Jorsett · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Once we have the genetic codes of all species recorded, we won't need the actual creatures any longer. If we have a future requirement for an actual Green-Tinged Fin Wiggler we can just make one. Goodbye Endangered Species Act.

  3. possibly dumb question... by Daniel+Ellard · · Score: 4, Interesting
    If they just grab DNA out of microbes they find floating around in the ocean, how will they know what genes correspond to what? Wouldn't it make more sense to sequence the DNA of things about which we have some knowledge?

    (This isn't a rhetorical question -- I'm simply curious but ignorant.)

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    Disclaimer: I work for a company, but I don't speak for them.