Really, it shouldn't be so surprising that the genetic makeup of a roundworm is that close to that of a human. In fact, there is only a 1% difference in the DNA makeup of an ape as compared to that of a human.
This fact has allowed many genertic-research/manipulation techniques to be perfected such as somatic cell hybridization) on non-human organisms without becoming entangled in the ever-so-present moral and ethical implications of such research (playing God).
The only caveat to this, of course, has been mentioned several times times in this article's threads: it's not the number of genes but the number of combinations. (Adding only 100 genes to a particular genome increases the number of combinations exponentially.)
I've always felt that one of the greatest things about this country was its access to free information through the library. It didn't matter if you were a 5 year old or a 50 year old; if you wanted to seach the electronic archives for articles and journal reports relating to topics like "Missile Defense Policy," Goddamit, you could do it... and for free.
Now we're getting to the point that publishing companys are being represented by people making six figure salaries and whining about how they (publishers) aren't being compensated enough to pay their mortgages.
Next art museums are going to make you "pay by use"... putting money into jars in front of each painting. Historic Monements like the Jefferson Memorial are going to have huge fences around them and you'll have to slide your credit card to gain access. Let's throw a huge black tarp over Mount Rushmore and little kids donate their piggie banks so they can see it...
Why don't we just cover all the bases. Put a $500/year Universal tax for every man, woman, and child to cover EVERYTHING that ANYONE could write, do, say, publish, create, or interpret for ANYONE else.
I think this bit of research is particularly facinating to anyone interested in archeology or related sciences. I remember a series on PBS about the Egyptian pyramids; For years archeaologists were prevented from exploring their inner structures due to the tiny access shafts into the main chamber. The only in was to squeeze someone into a 3 foot by 3 foot passage (several hundred meters in length) . Improvements in robotics allowed them to roll a macro-version of this type of robot into the chamber with a camera.
Now, if they ARE able to efficiently add a camera to this little device, think of the academic and exploratory possibilities. A waterproof bot could travel to the ocean floor to identify under-the surface micro-organisms. Space-bound bots could land on adverse planets to explore inside the cracks in rocks and hardened soil, etc etc.
Though maybe not practical for the everyday person, (I don't think you'll ever see something like this walking your dog or bringing you beer)improvements on this kind of robot could lead to astounding scientific discoveries. That should be exciting to all of you research-heads out there.
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Really, it shouldn't be so surprising that the genetic makeup of a roundworm is that close to that of a human. In fact, there is only a 1% difference in the DNA makeup of an ape as compared to that of a human.
This fact has allowed many genertic-research/manipulation techniques to be perfected such as somatic cell hybridization) on non-human organisms without becoming entangled in the ever-so-present moral and ethical implications of such research (playing God).
The only caveat to this, of course, has been mentioned several times times in this article's threads: it's not the number of genes but the number of combinations. (Adding only 100 genes to a particular genome increases the number of combinations exponentially.)
Now we're getting to the point that publishing companys are being represented by people making six figure salaries and whining about how they (publishers) aren't being compensated enough to pay their mortgages.
Next art museums are going to make you "pay by use"... putting money into jars in front of each painting. Historic Monements like the Jefferson Memorial are going to have huge fences around them and you'll have to slide your credit card to gain access. Let's throw a huge black tarp over Mount Rushmore and little kids donate their piggie banks so they can see it...
Why don't we just cover all the bases. Put a $500/year Universal tax for every man, woman, and child to cover EVERYTHING that ANYONE could write, do, say, publish, create, or interpret for ANYONE else.
I think this bit of research is particularly facinating to anyone interested in archeology or related sciences. I remember a series on PBS about the Egyptian pyramids; For years archeaologists were prevented from exploring their inner structures due to the tiny access shafts into the main chamber. The only in was to squeeze someone into a 3 foot by 3 foot passage (several hundred meters in length) . Improvements in robotics allowed them to roll a macro-version of this type of robot into the chamber with a camera. Now, if they ARE able to efficiently add a camera to this little device, think of the academic and exploratory possibilities. A waterproof bot could travel to the ocean floor to identify under-the surface micro-organisms. Space-bound bots could land on adverse planets to explore inside the cracks in rocks and hardened soil, etc etc. Though maybe not practical for the everyday person, (I don't think you'll ever see something like this walking your dog or bringing you beer)improvements on this kind of robot could lead to astounding scientific discoveries. That should be exciting to all of you research-heads out there.