Wired Science, with the help of a few scientists, has decoded the “watermarks” placed in the synthetic genome recently constructed by the Venter Institute. So, what were the no-doubt profound messages tucked inside the first synthetic genome:
VENTERINSTITVTE
CRAIGVENTER
HAMSMITH
CINDIANDCLYDE
GLASSANDCLYDE
Yep. The names of people who worked on the genome. It makes sense, though. The Venter Institute is aiming to create designer organisms. And what designer item is complete without a logo? These kinds of watermarks could become the “LV” or “Intel Inside” of synthetic biology.
Of course, they’ll be a little harder for Jessica Simpson to flaunt on the red carpet.
-Greg Dahlmann
Earlier on blog.bioethics.net:
+ Wired: three smart things about genomics
+ What do Bacteria have to do with Albert Einstein’s Theory of Relativity?
+ On Human Genomes and “Rewriting the Textbooks”