4 ms·

Even if I was Dr Evil, with an evil medical degree from Evil University, I would think twice about starting my plan to capture the DNA of the public (mwahaha) b

Even if I was Dr Evil, with an evil medical degree from Evil University, I would think twice about starting my plan to capture the DNA of the public (mwahaha) by picking deliberately biohazardous samples.

wongarsu 5y ago
Especially when you could just operate a chain of labs that run blood tests, and covertly sequence them on the side. Easier to scale, not reliant on something temporary like a pandemic, and probably has a more representative sample of the population than PCR tests.
- Symmetry 5y ago
  I wonder if it would be feasible to just set up a toilet to provide genetic samples?
  - JulianMorrison 5y ago
    Or hoover the seats in a bus.
- jschwartzi 5y ago
  If you did start something like that you could call it Labcorp and make sure it’s the only game in town.
  - saalweachter 5y ago
    Not to be confused with labcore, the mad scientist aesthetic you'll be adhering to behind closed doors.
gruez 5y ago
>by picking deliberately biohazardous samples. why is that an issue? aren't villains known for their lack of care for their henchmen[1]? Also, apparently covid isn't really transmitted via physical contact[2], so operating such a lab probably isn't too dangerous. Finally, presumably there's PPE to protect against this sort of stuff, if you're not the type of villain that mistreats their henchmen. [1] https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BadBoss https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BadBoss [2] https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/more/science-and-research/surface-transmission.html https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/more/science-and-r...
- JulianMorrison 5y ago
  That would be "random fomites in the environment" not "PCR testing swabs with deliberately maximized chance of virus content"
JulianMorrison 5y ago
Oh hey, I stand corrected. https://inews.co.uk/news/covid-testing-provider-investigated-watchdog-plans-sell-customers-dna-samples-medical-research-1299909 https://inews.co.uk/news/covid-testing-provider-investigated...

wongarsu 5y ago

Especially when you could just operate a chain of labs that run blood tests, and covertly sequence them on the side. Easier to scale, not reliant on something temporary like a pandemic, and probably has a more representative sample of the population than PCR tests.

Symmetry 5y ago
I wonder if it would be feasible to just set up a toilet to provide genetic samples?
- JulianMorrison 5y ago
  Or hoover the seats in a bus.
jschwartzi 5y ago
If you did start something like that you could call it Labcorp and make sure it’s the only game in town.
- saalweachter 5y ago
  Not to be confused with labcore, the mad scientist aesthetic you'll be adhering to behind closed doors.

gruez 5y ago

>by picking deliberately biohazardous samples. why is that an issue? aren't villains known for their lack of care for their henchmen[1]? Also, apparently covid isn't really transmitted via physical contact[2], so operating such a lab probably isn't too dangerous. Finally, presumably there's PPE to protect against this sort of stuff, if you're not the type of villain that mistreats their henchmen. [1] https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BadBoss https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BadBoss [2] https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/more/science-and-research/surface-transmission.html https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/more/science-and-r...

JulianMorrison 5y ago
That would be "random fomites in the environment" not "PCR testing swabs with deliberately maximized chance of virus content"

JulianMorrison 5y ago

Oh hey, I stand corrected. https://inews.co.uk/news/covid-testing-provider-investigated-watchdog-plans-sell-customers-dna-samples-medical-research-1299909 https://inews.co.uk/news/covid-testing-provider-investigated...