Yes, thanks from me, too -- I really wanted to be there, I'm sorry I had to leave. Maybe we can get a panel together sometime, and promote it more heavily. Nancy and Mark for a start. Any other gene-iacal suggesticons? Get some real speculative juju moving. Other than Alicia (would it be awkward being on a panel with your manager?), do we have any biologists?
On 2009-02-04, Pat Rapp <[email protected]> wrote: > > Thank you for the summary, Nancy. I am so disappointed that I had to miss > it! > > ----- Original Message ----- *From:* [email protected] > *To:* [email protected] > *Sent:* Wednesday, February 04, 2009 6:58 AM > *Subject:* Re: DNA in action! > > > Last night's R-Spec meeting was fascinating -- it was too bad that only > seven people could make it. Mark Zahn, Alicia's boss, spoke about > Biodefense. He slanted his talk toward practical knowledge for SF writers > who want to include weaponized genemods in their stories, and he did a > wonderful job. > > He talked about which pathogens best lend themselves to modification > (Ebola, for instance, has a very small genome and produces only eight > proteins, which means there's just not *room* enough in the cell to fit a > lot of extra, genetically engineered stuff.) Mark covered the assembly of > viruses using sequencing data and "off-the-shelf" sections of DNA. He > talked about the origins and spread of epidemics. I hadn't known that the > natural host for influenza was an Asian species of duck, and that the way > vaccine makers guess at which strains of flu will hit in a given winter is > by examining ducks in late summer. > > The talk also covered what you need for a rogue genemod lab to weaponize > pathogens: off-the-rack equipment, experienced talent, and no more than a > few million dollars. What the Russians may or may not have been doing in > this regard was discussed, including a recommendation for Ken Alibek's scary > book BIOHAZARD (which I have read -- it's horrifying). Mark finished with > an overview of surveillance techniques used to spot and track epidemics so > that appropriate measures can be taken, including quarantine if necessary. > > Thank you, Alicia. It was terrific. > > > ------------------------------ > Who's never won? Biggest Grammy Award surprises of all time on AOL > Music<http://music.aol.com/grammys/pictures/never-won-a-grammy?ncid=emlcntusmusi00000001> > . > > -- eric scoles ([email protected]) --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "R-SPEC: The Rochester Speculative Literature Association" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/r-spec?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
