In fact, it has to require exactly as much energy to convert CO2 into methane as would be released by converting the methane into CO2 (eg by burning). Your perfectly efficient methane-burning engine would have to use all its energy to reconvert the CO2 to CH3OH. So your typical 20% efficient modern engine would be able to reduce its "greenhouse gas" emission by 20% when sitting at a red light with the A/C & radio off.
Patented genes are not equivalent to Corporate Trade Secrets. Their sequence is published, and available to anyone with access to a medical library. The patents are intended to prevent people who didn't invest all the time and energy to identify and isolate that particular sequence from making money with it.
Much like GPL prevents people from selling the kernel source code.
You know, I think we could do pretty well without businesses doing research. I like the idea of well funded basic research carried out by academic institutions, the way it used to be.
At least in biology/medicine, most of the basic research is still funded by the feds, who currently spend ~$12bn. This pays mostly for discovery of biological operating principles. By the time NIH/academia has invested the 15 years it may take to recognize potential treatments/cures, companies get interested and will be more likely to chip in for the final 5-10 years it takes to get a solution and the very expensive 2 years to get through FDA.
Something else to keep in mind: although devices and novel substances may be patented, the entire process of discovery and validation is published where anyone with a library card can read, and replicate. So, even though a particular substance may be patented, other researchers still benefit.
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Much like GPL prevents people from selling the kernel source code.
from Promega
At least in biology/medicine, most of the basic research is still funded by the feds, who currently spend ~$12bn. This pays mostly for discovery of biological operating principles. By the time NIH/academia has invested the 15 years it may take to recognize potential treatments/cures, companies get interested and will be more likely to chip in for the final 5-10 years it takes to get a solution and the very expensive 2 years to get through FDA.
Something else to keep in mind: although devices and novel substances may be patented, the entire process of discovery and validation is published where anyone with a library card can read, and replicate. So, even though a particular substance may be patented, other researchers still benefit.