The genome business

摘要

These are heady times for genome research. Ever since last year's announcement that we now have a first draft of the human genome, hopes have run high that quick ways to identify and mend faulty genes will soon follow. Former US president Bill Clinton fanned the flames. He joked that if the US Constitution were changed, so that he could run for a third term, he might return to the Oval office in his 80s. This would be possible, he speculated, because breakthroughs in human genomics would make natural ageing a thing of the past.