open source biology

Wired tell of an Australian leading the work on provision of new bio technology under an open source licence. It includes a quote from John Wilbanks, the Director of Creative Commons’ new Science initiative, Science Commons.

A paper appearing in this week’s edition of Nature is antiseptically entitled: “Gene transfer to plants by diverse species of bacteria.” But the information that lies within may herald a revolution in biology.

The paper describes two new technologies: TransBacter, a method for transferring genes to plants, and GUSPlus, a method of visualizing where the genes are and what they do. Behind the research, which was funded by the Rockefeller Foundation, is a team of scientists who want to provide the technologies as a “kernel,” modeled on the Linux movement, as the beginning of perhaps the first practical offering in open-source biology.

mechanical building

facade outside
Originally uploaded by moniker.
facadeinside
Originally uploaded by moniker.

This is straight out of a China Mieville story. My friend Mel was recently in Paris and told me about the Arab World Institute. She has put up a couple of images of this amazing building that is covered in iris lens. Apparently the iris open and close in response to the sun.