I find it amusing that the underlying technology that made this study possible was patented (end of page 1), but that a royalty free alternative solution was fo

I find it amusing that the underlying technology that made this study possible was patented (end of page 1), but that a royalty free alternative solution was found. In science people are often quick to patent each new breakthrough, which sometimes just prevents other scientist from building on that initial breakthrough. I think it is an important lesson to realize that not every new discovery is worth patenting. Perhaps only when a technology is truly ready to be brought to market in the foreseeable future should a patent be considered. Otherwise, the patent could become a distraction to the importance of the breakthrough itself.