In article <1993Feb25.184958.1 at molbiol.ox.ac.uk>, kuzio at molbiol.ox.ac.uk writes:
> ...
> How long before there is a *complete* gene analysis service offered
> (commercial or otherwise)?
> Right now you can farm out vast sequencing projects to be done for you
> by a company. Why not let another company run the data through all
> available analyses (i mean the gene finding, gene comparison, protein
> struc prediction, non-interactive stuff for starts). If a hit to
> the databank is found, then things like phylogen analysis could
> be included. The researcher deciphers the results. Too far fetched?
Er, how long before we farm out our entire JOBS to a company?! Then we'd have
plenty of spare time....
BUT SERIOUSLY: the question John's raising is a very difficult one - of
*balance*. I'm getting the feeling that a recurrent debate seen on
molbiol.methods etc. is about to surface in another incarnation....the use of
kits versus understanding what you're doing (to parody the argument :->).
That debate is usually AWFUL, and very partisan. Can we get a better
consensus here, or at least a clearer articulation of the options??
> Peter's point of knowing what you are doing is valid. How many biologists
> have the time to become knowledgable on all software?
Dunno, John. The same number as there are programmers who understand biology,
I fear....
Anthony Davies
Institute of Virology
Oxford UK
