Category Archives: Genomics

We Need Open Data, Not Open Access

Posted on May 9, 2012 by

The Dreaded Nat makes two good points about open access publishing. First (boldface mine): So what does it all mean for the average layperson? Precious little, I’m afraid. The Wellcome Trust’s move towards open access is highly unlikely to lead … Continue reading →

Posted in Genomics, Publishing | 4 Comments

The False Distinction Between Innovation and Production: More Technobrat Follies

Posted on April 17, 2012 by

Many, many, many moons ago, there was a saying, “Never trust anyone over thirty.” Well, Matt Yglesias, along with older older economists who should know better, are turning that statement on its head. It doesn’t surprise me that Yglesias would … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Genomics, Jobs | 4 Comments

So What Could Nanopore Mean for Bacterial Genomics? (And the Pelham 123 Problem)

Posted on February 21, 2012 by

By now, you might have heard about Oxford Nanopore‘s first preview of their Gridion and Minion technologies at the recent AGBT conference. While I think some caution is in order, I don’t think this will turn out to be ‘vaportech.’ … Continue reading →

Posted in Genomics | 7 Comments

Science and Job Creation: The Human Genome Project

Posted on November 17, 2011 by

In total, the Human Genome Project (‘HGP’) cost $3.8 billion. Sounds expensive until we realize that it ultimately led to $796 billion of economic impact. Here’s the total effect from 1988 to 2010: Direct effects are the jobs and economic … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Funding, Genomics, NIH

In Defense of (Some) Large Author Lists

Posted on November 14, 2011 by

While I was convalescing, a minor kerfuffle erupted over ‘courtesy authors’ on scientific papers, when the British Medical Journal announced its new rules for authorship inclusion: The uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to medical journals state that authorship credit should … Continue reading →

Posted in Engineering, Funding, Genomics, Publishing | 4 Comments

Can Science Be Open When Resources (and Funds) Are Private?

Posted on November 2, 2011 by

Michael Nielsen has a Wall Street Journal op-ed about open science that is making the rounds in the science bloggysphere. Before I get to why I think Nielsen is wrong–at least when it comes to biology–I support open science. More … Continue reading →

Posted in Funding, Genomics

Genomics, Illumina, and the Cost of ‘Fiscal Responsibility’

Posted on October 27, 2011 by

Or for those of you outside of the U.S., you know it as austerity. As I’ve written many times on this blog, lots of things can be limiting: resources, infrastructure, personnel. But when you have a fiat currency (as the … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Fucking Morons, Funding, Genomics | 1 Comment

Where Did the Term ‘Core Microbiome’ Come From?

Posted on September 19, 2011 by

In an excellent post about the vaginal microbiome (the microbes that in the vagina), Dr. Rad asks: I wonder if the idea of a ‘core microbiome’ came from Lourens Baas Becking’s oft-quoted idea in microbial ecology that ‘Everything is everywhere, … Continue reading →

Posted in Ecology, Genomics, Microbiology, Microbiome, Uncategorized | 4 Comments

The Left Does “Give a Fig About Science”–For Its Own Sake

Posted on August 24, 2011 by

Every day, I go to work and “beat the Judeo-Christian moral tradition into submission in the service of managerial progressivism.” Or something.
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Posted in Conservatives, Creationism, Evolution, Genomics, Microbiology, MRSA | 13 Comments

Will the Cloud Save Genomics?

Posted on August 10, 2011 by

We will be spending a lot more money on software and people than sequencing, cloud or not.
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Posted in Computers, Genomics | 4 Comments