4 ms·
We started this project to show people that you don't have to do research like this in an academic lab and be dependent on NIH funding. The more projects like t
by technotony 12y ago
We started this project to show people that you don't have to do research like this in an academic lab and be dependent on NIH funding. The more projects like this that happen, the more we can reduce the barriers to starting there will be an exponential take off on the kinds of things that can be done. We are so dependent on plants for so many things that this will undoubtably solve some other problems as well. Plus maybe we can make plants for lighting villages in Africa or for marking the side of the road in Canada.
- aroch 12y agoThere's a reason NIH doesn't fund stuff like this, its useless. A mere novelty. Say what you will about studies of syphilis in the prostitutes of Tijuana, they provide great data about infectious diseases. Super-GFP or Super-Cherry in E. coli˚ glows bright enough to see in ambient light (ie. my lab bench) -- Glowing plants solves essentially 0 real world problemsproblems.
- dekhn 12y agoHope is not a strategy. I admire your enthusiasm, but I am skeptical that your plans will have an impact. Regarding showing people you don't need an academic lab. Well, sure: I could, if I wanted, clone a gene in my garage if I had the time (since I've done it in a lab, it's pretty easy; none of the science of cloning e coli genes is hard, plants are far harder to transform). The funding isn't an issue either because, frankly, contract research labs clone genes affordably (I'm assuming a Bay Area software engineer salary permitting maybe $20-30K opcost and 100 hours/years labor). Personally, I think just focusing on developing a general purpose technology for plant transformation would get you further and faster towards your goal. Gene guns are lame.