Comments on: A CHALLENGE TO GENE THEORY, A TOUGHER LOOK AT BIOTECH,AND A CORRECTION (DAMN) http://hybridvigor.org/2007/07/02/a-challenge-to-gene-theory-a-tougher-look-at-biotechand-a-correction-damn/ Improving decisions and outcomes through collaboration and deliberation Sun, 14 Feb 2010 23:08:49 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: Denise Caruso http://hybridvigor.org/2007/07/02/a-challenge-to-gene-theory-a-tougher-look-at-biotechand-a-correction-damn/comment-page-1/#comment-5712 Denise Caruso Thu, 25 Oct 2007 02:59:37 +0000 http://hybridvigor.net/2007/07/02/a-challenge-to-gene-theory-a-tougher-look-at-biotechand-a-correction-damn/#comment-5712 Central Dogma was turned on its head years ago. The point of the column was to point out that the important cultural institutions that govern the products of genetic engineering -- the regulatory agencies and the patent system -- are still in the central dogma mode. There was a lot more to the ENCODE study than some statements about junk DNA. And if you read panic into my column -- well, I'm sorry to hear that. No panic intended, nor felt by me. Just trying to point out a fact that is relevant to how ordinary people should be thinking about genomics. Things are not as they have been sold. Central Dogma was turned on its head years ago. The point of the column was to point out that the important cultural institutions that govern the products of genetic engineering — the regulatory agencies and the patent system — are still in the central dogma mode. There was a lot more to the ENCODE study than some statements about junk DNA. And if you read panic into my column — well, I’m sorry to hear that. No panic intended, nor felt by me. Just trying to point out a fact that is relevant to how ordinary people should be thinking about genomics. Things are not as they have been sold.

]]> By: Just another Ph.D. http://hybridvigor.org/2007/07/02/a-challenge-to-gene-theory-a-tougher-look-at-biotechand-a-correction-damn/comment-page-1/#comment-1266 Just another Ph.D. Mon, 02 Jul 2007 20:12:39 +0000 http://hybridvigor.net/2007/07/02/a-challenge-to-gene-theory-a-tougher-look-at-biotechand-a-correction-damn/#comment-1266 In my view, the findings of the ENCODE study do not turn the central dogma on its head, as you purport. Rather, this investigation (of 1% of the genome) illuminated the fact that beyond the discrete genes we have come to know and love, the previously so-called “junk” DNA is regulatory in nature and of critical importance. Furthermore, the fact that most of our genome is “used” and therefore can be thought of as a complex network of regulatory elements and genes, does not mean that what we know of genes per se is different now compared to before this study. In this sense, what was gleaned from the study was that there is much more to DNA than previously met the eye, and that genes are one type of important element of the genome. Taken together, I fail to see how the ENCODE findings merit the panic implicit in your article. Rather, this brute force approach to digging into our DNA revealed the incredible, elegant complexity of our genetic material and added to, rather than took away from, our understanding of genetics. In my view, the findings of the ENCODE study do not turn the central dogma on its head, as you purport. Rather, this investigation (of 1% of the genome) illuminated the fact that beyond the discrete genes we have come to know and love, the previously so-called “junk” DNA is regulatory in nature and of critical importance. Furthermore, the fact that most of our genome is “used” and therefore can be thought of as a complex network of regulatory elements and genes, does not mean that what we know of genes per se is different now compared to before this study. In this sense, what was gleaned from the study was that there is much more to DNA than previously met the eye, and that genes are one type of important element of the genome. Taken together, I fail to see how the ENCODE findings merit the panic implicit in your article. Rather, this brute force approach to digging into our DNA revealed the incredible, elegant complexity of our genetic material and added to, rather than took away from, our understanding of genetics.

]]> By: Sylvia S Tognetti http://hybridvigor.org/2007/07/02/a-challenge-to-gene-theory-a-tougher-look-at-biotechand-a-correction-damn/comment-page-1/#comment-1260 Sylvia S Tognetti Mon, 02 Jul 2007 14:40:01 +0000 http://hybridvigor.net/2007/07/02/a-challenge-to-gene-theory-a-tougher-look-at-biotechand-a-correction-damn/#comment-1260 Greetings, I blogged this <a href="http://www.postnormaltimes.net/blog/archives/2007/07/reality_has_bec.html" rel="nofollow">here</a>, and just added a link to your update. The short version: the concept of creating "markets for ecosystem services" - an emerging strategy for internalizing environmental costs, raises the same kinds of questions but, since it isn't yet a $73.5 billion industry, and the rules of the game are still a work in progress, there may be an opportunity to develop a new business model. Greetings,

I blogged this here, and just added a link to your update. The short version: the concept of creating “markets for ecosystem services” – an emerging strategy for internalizing environmental costs, raises the same kinds of questions but, since it isn’t yet a $73.5 billion industry, and the rules of the game are still a work in progress, there may be an opportunity to develop a new business model.

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