2 ms·
I've been in the room when deciding what to call a gene that the lab had just characterized/identified as interesting for the publication they were working on,
by vikramkr 6y ago
I've been in the room when deciding what to call a gene that the lab had just characterized/identified as interesting for the publication they were working on, and let's just say that making it easy to catalog and find the gene wasn't really on their mind. They'd actually been using a deliberately obfuscated name in conferences to prevent people from scooping their work on the gene before, which is pretty common.
- rolph 6y agoconference is a different game but that doesnt change what happens in the lab, if you look at the overall picture you can see the potential for duplication of alphanumeric strings. this is why in conference lables must be developed as you have a wider context in conference than in your own lab. You can be scooped for research regardless of what lable is given to a gene, and for that matter even if you make publication first as not everybody has the same ethical framework of honesty or due accreditation. the time before computers were used reflexively was when we would record data, in cursive written in hardcover bound note books. a putative gene has a name that allows it to be found. later if things work nicely that putative is confirmed to be a gene and if things work ideally the locus can be established https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Locus_(genetics) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Locus_(genetics) around the late nineties the obsession with videogames and netspeak took hold, and the popular names began to crop up.