It may simply be a patent on "methods for researching non-coded, or "junk", DNA."
So what's the problem with that? I'd like to see a little evidence that they've indeed "patented the non-coded DNA of all living creatures", and not just come up with some convenient way to analyze it.
If your working on 'junk DNA' in any species, you will have to pay them royalties I'd say that that counted as a patent (I bet that the patent is written so broardly that it covers all techniques (both persent and undiscovered)).
On top of that the definition of a gene is very unclear. For a start there are things called pseudogenes these have the sequence of a gene, but are effectivly junk DNA, if I cloned a pseudogenes by accident (easy enough to do if your looking for the real gene) and my institution has no license, will they get sued?
Finally the some convenient way to analyze junk DNA are almost certain to be straightforward and obvious with masses of prior art
I'm willing to bet that the 'methods for researching non-coded, or "junk", DNA' will almost certanally be really really obvious with masses of prior art. On top of that the real trouble is that what is junk DNA
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).
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
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
Some people have pointed out that they are doing it to remove self incriminating evidence from their website. Very likely.
I don't think it could be that. How much of the site is protected by robots.txt? Won't it be in archive.org/Google cache (failing that there are probably people 'survalance mirroring' the site). Running a quick diff on thoes records, and the SCO site (when it comes back up) would reveal exactly what they wanted to hide
My moneys on "Oh Dear! We can't had over all these documents our server crashed then the dog ate it"
Depends how you're picking up the pieces though. You could buy a Rubik's Cube at retail for ten bucks if you wanted. The beauty of Lego is that everybody had some. Garage sales are your friend.
110 floors at '500 little 1x1 and 1x2 pieces' a go, thats 55000 bricks, I really would not want to have to sort through dustbins of assorted lego to find them, when I could phone up lego get just what I want with at bulk order discount.
There are hotels in Scotland (and probably elsewhere) that
jam cellphones so that guests think their in a dead spot and use the hotel phones. It sounds like the sort of thing Basil Fawlty would do
Most states limit the amount of time sex offenders are required to be registered. Maine, for example, limits this to 10 years [klaaskids.org] for most offenders
'increased public scrutiny for at least 10 years' is fine but by putting the data on the Internet limits it to life and probably much longer, even if archive.org don't save these pages, any nut with an agenda can save the pages and keep them long long past their sell by date
How rugged are these things? I would not like have one implanted every time I stand next to a radar gun. Or some joker decides it would be fun to spray a crowd with a HERF Gun
There might be legal issues preventing resale of some cables (toxic materials, fire regs. and so on).
I think quality control would be a bigger issue. Cables are cheap, people are expensive, the manhours tracking down one dud cable could wipe out any saving on material
Slashdot Mirror
Here is a link to the seperation picture of Beagle 2 taken by Mars Express
So what's the problem with that? I'd like to see a little evidence that they've indeed "patented the non-coded DNA of all living creatures", and not just come up with some convenient way to analyze it.
If your working on 'junk DNA' in any species, you will have to pay them royalties I'd say that that counted as a patent (I bet that the patent is written so broardly that it covers all techniques (both persent and undiscovered)).
On top of that the definition of a gene is very unclear. For a start there are things called pseudogenes these have the sequence of a gene, but are effectivly junk DNA, if I cloned a pseudogenes by accident (easy enough to do if your looking for the real gene) and my institution has no license, will they get sued?
Finally the some convenient way to analyze junk DNA are almost certain to be straightforward and obvious with masses of prior art
I'm willing to bet that the 'methods for researching non-coded, or "junk", DNA' will almost certanally be really really obvious with masses of prior art. On top of that the real trouble is that what is junk DNA
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/handle-generic-f orm/102-1774762-2876143?action=next-page&target=we b-search/redirect.html&title=PXA255%20SBC%20runs%2 0%3Cb%3ELinux%3C/b%3E&url=http%3A//www.google.com/ url%3Fq%3Dhttp%3A//www.goatse.cx/&intel_xscale_p%2 6sa%3Dl%26ai%3DAyrRiR1Xt_UfpkMLkdY6vYDsDW6b_CI8hqa AjNCZPCMg2RBAoRnRADMAmWAA%26num%3D3&hshs.url=http: //www.strategic-test.com&ws_type=bks_dp_ads&ws_pos ition=3
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
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).
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
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.
I don't think it could be that. How much of the site is protected by robots.txt? Won't it be in archive.org/Google cache (failing that there are probably people 'survalance mirroring' the site). Running a quick diff on thoes records, and the SCO site (when it comes back up) would reveal exactly what they wanted to hide
My moneys on "Oh Dear! We can't had over all these documents our server crashed then the dog ate it"
<kneejerk>They have, its called Microsoft Windows </kneejerk>
110 floors at '500 little 1x1 and 1x2 pieces' a go, thats 55000 bricks, I really would not want to have to sort through dustbins of assorted lego to find them, when I could phone up lego get just what I want with at bulk order discount.
There are hotels in Scotland (and probably elsewhere) that jam cellphones so that guests think their in a dead spot and use the hotel phones. It sounds like the sort of thing Basil Fawlty would do
It is a citizen's arrest after all.
People are not reasonable, people have grudges, agendas and strange things riding their backs.
Microsoft Works
And theres more :-
Beagle 2 is carrying a Damien Hirst spot painting for colour calibration. It will be interesting to see how mars-news.de weasels round that
No. The US would have men staging on Mercury, preparing to invade the Sun in search of all thoes Weapons of Mass Ejection
about as coherent as a professor awake for 1 hour
I'm English 6'1 weigh 18st and travel in miles... but when I get to work its metric all the way
Its strange for me I emote in imperial and work in metric
'increased public scrutiny for at least 10 years' is fine but by putting the data on the Internet limits it to life and probably much longer, even if archive.org don't save these pages, any nut with an agenda can save the pages and keep them long long past their sell by date
There are rules, evolutionary ones, bad design gets ignored.
Tax breaks?
How rugged are these things? I would not like have one implanted every time I stand next to a radar gun. Or some joker decides it would be fun to spray a crowd with a HERF Gun
If they patch their voting machines they get blasted for it, now there getting flack for not patching their ATM's
that was just fantastic thankyou
I think quality control would be a bigger issue. Cables are cheap, people are expensive, the manhours tracking down one dud cable could wipe out any saving on material
as kriston said they were after electrical wiring, and were probably not too concerned about the dioxin fumes from the smelting