B.G.I., formerly called Beijing Genomics Institute, the world’s largest genetic-research center. With a hundred and seventy-eight machines to sequence the precise order of the billions of chemicals within a molecule of DNA, B.G.I. produces at least a quarter of the world’s genomic data—more than Harvard University, the National Institutes of Health, or any other scientific institution. newyorker/reporting/2014/01/06/140106fa_fact_specter The New Yorker’s Michael Specter visits BGI Shenzhen, the world’s largest sequencer of genetic data, and examines its work towards food security, disease control and prevention and—controversially—human intelligence and embryo selection. chinadigitaltimes.net/2013/12/inside-bgi-chinas-genomics-factory/ But the breakthrough is controversial, with groups opposed to animal testing warning that it could drive a rise in the use of monkeys in research. One critic said that genetic engineering gave researchers “almost limitless power to create sick animals”. […] The fact that genome editing worked to create modified monkeys suggests it might also work to create genetically modified humans. chinadigitaltimes.net/2014/01/nanjing-team-creates-genetically-modified-monkeys/ […] “If it tastes good you should sequence it,” [chief executive Wang Jun] tells me. “You should know what’s in the genes of that species.” “A third category is if it looks cute – anything that looks cute: panda, polar bear, penguin, you should really sequence it – it’s like digitalising all the wonderful species,” he explains. chinadigitaltimes.net/2014/01/chinas-bgi-cloning-industrial-scale/ In November 2011, BGI Research Institute launched the 3-Million Genomes Project, which is made up of the Million Plant & Animal Genomes Project; the Million Human Genomes Project; and the Million Microecosystem Genomes Project. genomics.cn/en/navigation/show_navigation?nid=5656 No one knows what genes make people smart. But the chance to figure that out is just kind of hanging there: 50-80% of what determines IQ is thought to be inherited. qz/166699/a-chinese-company-is-pioneering-the-technology-to-let-parents-pick-their-smartest-embryo/ +
Posted on: Sat, 01 Feb 2014 16:14:13 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015