Slashdot Mirror
New Genetic Information Web Portal
Wonko42 writes "A new portal, DoubleTwist.com, has been opened which allows scientists and researchers free access to tons of genetic information and data. Just type in a gene sequence, and it'll spew data back at you. It'll even notify you by email when there's new information about the stuff you're studying. Very cool. "
Isn't that what Nymphoseek is for? (j/k)
/offtopic/ How come every time I see a topic that I REALLY can add to on Slashdot, I catch it 4 hours too late?
aims to bring the Internet back to its roots -- back to the days when the Net was primarily used by scientists and researchers sharing ideas and data.
Okay, not a bad idea. My guess, (and NO, I didn't bother to research it at all) is that it's going to be a pay for play kinda site, but who determines power usage?
'I need info on Genetic String Xydl;XY89$ajffdasd...'
'Okay Doctor Dooright, that'll be $520, since this is something a power user would need'
I guess it would be set up as some kind of subscription type basis, but at what point are the "free" members limited from the "power" information? Maybe it's just me, but I don't recall the "roots" of the internet charging for scientists and researchers sharing ideas and data
Anyway, don't get me wrong, I'm fully in support of this idea... Especially being the casual nerd that I am. I don't need DNA comparisons between a duck and cat-tailed marmadillo very often (don't ask me what a cat-tailed marmadillo is either), so it's not gonna hurt me any. But I'm worried that there's going to be a paper due, or a project, in which I REALLY need some information, and they're gonna say "Sorry buddy, you've used up all the information you can handle this month... Fork over $250 and I'll see what I can do." (???)
I am not religious, but I recall in the Upanishads, Torah, Chinese (Lao Tzu makes mention of it) and Greek myth a time of a golden age when mankind had a physical perfection, and lived lives roughly 4 times the current maximium life spans with a degree of youth and vigor. This genetic research we have now has already revealed the secret of telemeres which control aging by cell division and we have already sustained human cells and quadrupled the natural life span of a roundworm. Which genetically speaking is not as far away from human beings as one might think.
I could easily conclude that we have no idea how this may change the nature of mankind. The medicines and even perhaps the introduction of genetic fashions and beauty, or intellect by entepreneurs for the coming generation of childen will alter our own perceptions of our mortality. Our culture is very much based on that knowledge of our mortality, how we love, perceive ourselves, our religions, and even our artistic acheivments. It's scary, but I see some very positive changes down the road that might make the negatives easier to deal with.
For one if this genetic knowledge creates longer youthful lives it will mean a political shift that will dramatic. The average man is still left with the "me generation" philosophy of short term thinking thanks to the brinkmanship of the cold war's potental of nuclear annhilation. All we are now, even our sexual revolution stemmed from the concept that we could all die tomorrow. Our politicians think in short term, though it is begining to change, politicians that urge policies that think in the long term are commiting politcal suicide. If we manage to increase lifespans of the citizenry to some 300 years that short-term nihilism behind policies will have to change. If people beleive they have a long future, they have to plan for it, it won't be their children's problem anymore it will be theirs.
I can envision everything from environmental policy to the forgoing of cheap architecture for ornate and enduring stuctures made to be beautiful. Consumerism may change. Even love and family relationships may change, for a mother that is 200 would proably look about 25 and seem to be by appearance a peer not only to her daughter but to her grandaughter as well. A dirty year old man like me, should I make it to 250, might date an innocent young 80 year year old tht looks like she could be an 18 year old japanese anime character.
So open those floodgates of information, bravo!!! Like all mankind before me I will believe in the religion that will promise me immortality, and if science is the religion that can deliver us into that golden age then I will most certainly be a convert.
In my mind, when I hear 'portal' I think 'link farm'(one domain with links to diverse resources of information of interest to people from many differant walks of life). This aproach has proven usefull in finding information, and has proven valuable to many companies bottom line.
Doubletwist.com appears to have focused one a finite area of interest, and has choosen to "do one thing very well". Does this aproach match your definition of 'Portal'? What does the term mean to you?
A quote from the site: DoubleTwist is the first internet portal to make on-line genetic research fast, easy and free for all life science researchers.