linkstream2 microblog

http://vimeo.com/99816801

Turkish TV documentary of Zeynep H. Gümüş, with brief quotes by MG at 20′ 15″

http://preview.reuters.com/2013/8/7/for-henrietta-lacks-famous-cells-new-and-unique-1

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/07/us-science-hela-idUSBRE9760YD20130807

QT:"

The decision applies only to researchers funded by NIH, which said it
"encourages" other scientists to abide by the agreement. Because
DNA-sequencing technology is cheap and ubiquitous in genetics labs,
the HeLa genome has been partly sequenced many times, and can easily
be fully sequenced again.

"Sequencing" refers to determining the precise order of the chemical
letters on a person’s genome, which is the full library of his or her
genetic information. Bits and pieces of that sequence spell out, for
instance, whether someone is at risk of diabetes or Alzheimer’s or
other genetic traits, as well as personal traits like the consistency
of ear wax.

These loopholes in the access agreement significantly weaken the NIH
move, said Mark Gerstein, a computational biologist at Yale University
who has raised concerns about threats to genetic privacy. "I doubt NIH
will get blanket agreement from scientists in every country" to follow
its protocol, "so it’s not clear what the agreement will be able to
accomplish."

"

http://preview.reuters.com/2013/8/7/for-henrietta-lacks-famous-cells-new-and-unique-1

QT:”

The decision applies only to researchers funded by NIH, which said it “encourages” other scientists to abide by the agreement. Because DNA-sequencing technology is cheap and ubiquitous in genetics labs, the HeLa genome has been partly sequenced many times, and can easily be fully sequenced again.

“Sequencing” refers to determining the precise order of the chemical letters on a person’s genome, which is the full library of his or her genetic information. Bits and pieces of that sequence spell out, for instance, whether someone is at risk of diabetes or Alzheimer’s or other genetic traits, as well as personal traits like the consistency of ear wax.

These loopholes in the access agreement significantly weaken the NIH move, said Mark Gerstein, a computational biologist at Yale University who has raised concerns about threats to genetic privacy. “I doubt NIH will get blanket agreement from scientists in every country” to follow its protocol, “so it’s not clear what the agreement will be able to accomplish.”

“

http://www.biotechniques.com/news/Up-In-The-Sky-Its-Super-Enhancers/biotechniques-343598.html#.Ub59JPaG1A9

http://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2013/03/23/we-need-a-sociologist-of-scienceor-a-philosopher/

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20130102-self-track-route-to-a-better-life/print More thoughts :
http://blog.gerstein.info/2013/03/thoughts-on-bbc-future-quantified-self.html

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1074552113000094

Volume 20, Issue 1, 24 January 2013, Pages 1–2
As Personal Genomes Join Big Data Will Privacy and Access Shrink? Jeanne Erdmann
Chemistry & Biology

QT:{

We live immersed in a world of big data. Every Internet click is tracked and noted—where we browse, what we view, how long we browse, where we shop, what we buy, what we “like.” In fact, many of our daily activities are monitored. Surveillance cameras track vehicles as they pass through intersections and track pedestrians as they walk down sidewalks; cameras note our transactions at ATMs. While it’s understandable to worry that so much surveillance invades our privacy, we may be overlooking the most personal information of all: the order of base pairs in our genomes. Each day, DNA sequencers worldwide churn out personal genomic data, which are then folded into large databases, some of which are open access, others of which are privately held. All of these big data collections carry value, and they’re mined for that value, whether it’s to tell Amazon what kind of books we like or to tell researchers whether our DNA carries variations that link to an increased risk for disease.
“I do think that those are parallel discussions,” says Mark Gerstein, PhD, a professor of bioinformatics at Yale University in New Haven. “But if you talk to most genomicists they don’t usually connect genomics with large-scale data mining on the web or in life.” They’re the same, Gerstein says. People may be attuned to the concept of secrets and privacy of personal information but not when it comes to mining terabytes of personal genomic information. The distinction is critical, because our tastes in books and music may evolve over the years, but our genomes never change.

}