hi,
SEQUENCING THE GENOME is just what HAS to be done - not more.
As we have the technology to do it, we have the moral duty to
do it. But Ludwig Mortenberg is right: knowing the sequence of
the genome is of little scientific value in terms of
UNDERSTANDING the complexity of life. Even if we knew all
genes, their structures and which gene intereacts with which
one, we wounldn't be able to understand ontogenesis,
morphogenesis,
pattern formation, differentiation and lastly (as a price that
we pay for differentiation) oncogenesis. Too much focussing on
the linear task of genome sequencing will lead to neglecting
NON-linear thinking. NON-linearity is the key issue of all
emergent properties such as LIFE itself.
The one-gene --> one phenotype paradigm, on which the HUGO
project is based cannot explain the complexity of living
organism.
You might read:
R. Strohmann, Biotechnology 12 (1994), p. 156 and ref herein
Sui Huang
Surgical Research
Children's Hospital
Boston
