The man who decoded the human genome strikes again!

Dr J. Craig Venter, the man responsible for decoding the human genome, was making a bold speech to the UK audience tonight. The show aired on BBC and was called "A DNA-Driven World" and was the 32nd Richard Dimbleby lecture.

Now, I'm no "Genomic Expert" but I do have an interest in how these new technologies can make a difference. The research that is being performed at the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI) is potentially some of the most groundbreaking of our lifetime, mine certainly! The topics of "Human Genomic Medicine", "Environmental Genomics", "Synthetic Biology" and "Biological Energy" are definitely areas which are innovative and cutting edge. From zero emissions, on to eliminating waste, right up to curing cancer. Next we'll have "Quantum Genomics", which will really baffle the majority of the world's population.

Throughout the whole lecture I believe he captured his audience and really pushed home the message that he was not a "nutty professor" but a pioneer in his field who really believed in what he was doing. It could have been seen as a "playing god" speech about human genetic design and how in the future we shall be skating on that, ethically, thin ice. Alternatively, it may well be perceived as a brilliant and passionate scientist trying to change the world for the better. To do what most of us always wanted to do. To clean up the planet not just for prolonging the human species' existence but for every species.

A crazy and eccentric solution seemed to have been presented, but saying that, don't all the best ideas come from people thinking "outside the box". Visionaries! Einstein was one, Edison another. Maybe it's about time we gave way to someone else who would like to put their radical theories into practice, especially if they have a set of solutions which can be applied to a multitude of different in need situations.

Ignoring these issues could prove fatal in the long run. Whether it be us or another species potentially under threat. But we are the ones leaving the footprint, and we are the ones who can make a real difference. Therefore we have to take it seriously or risk entering the realm of no return, where the damage cannot be undone. And face it! Everybody likes a challenge!

Related links

J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI)
Wikipedia - Genomics