In school I was never that great at handling the details of science.\u00a0 Math eludes me and chemical or physics formulas break me.\u00a0 Yet my natural ineptitude at engaging in it has not robbed me of my love for reading popular science books.\u00a0 I may not always grasp all of the arithmetic, but I usually get the big picture.<\/p>\n
One great book that I recently read was James Watson\u2019s DNA: The Secret of Life<\/i>.\u00a0 Watson wrote about private companies patenting genes that they\u2019ve discovered and I\u2019ve been ticked off ever since.\u00a0 I understand that they need to make a buck, but how can you patent a gene?\u00a0 Unless your name is \u201cNatural Selection,\u201d you didn\u2019t have much to do with creating them.<\/p>\n
The ability to patent genes has cost many people a great deal of money.\u00a0 For example, women seeking to be tested for an genetically increased risk for ovarian or breast cancer were squeezed for thousands of dollars by Myriad Genetics.\u00a0 Last March a federal judge invalidated such patents.\u00a0 Now researchers from a variety of institutions can began to do open research into these genes.<\/p>\n
As the case goes to appeal, the Obama administration has filed an amicus brief opposing the patents.\u00a0 The president promised to defend science and reason.\u00a0 With this move he\u2019s kept his word.<\/p>\n