This is the first edition of my new and improved personal website. I’m hoping to have some pics, some rants, and some miscellaneous
wackiness.
For now, check out what’s in my CD player (to the right), my daily rant (to the left), and my spiffalicious mint green color scheme and stylesheets.
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Today’s Rant: Patenting Genes
There’s a company in California (I think) that owns the patent to the two known genes for breast cancer. Actually, according to an article in Wired, they don’t own only the gene itself… they must also own the method of isolating it and using it.
This little snag in my research complicates my rant. See, I had been going to bitch about owning a part of nature — it’s like trying to patent a left thumb. However… owning the method of determining the gene’s existence still throws a monkey wrench into the whole works of science. I know for a fact that breast cancer research in some parts of the country has had to be halted due to this patent. There’s just something not right about this…
As far as my little research snafu:
A little learning is a dangerous thing.
Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring,
There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain
And drinking largely sobers us again.
-Author unknown
(PS – If you’re a “religious” person, check out this reference where I found the text of the poem I was looking for. Interesting stuff.)