$9.95! (times 2 x 10^6 easy payments)

If you happen to be J. Craig Venter, that is. He’s the first human to have al six billion letters of his genome sequenced, and laid out for all the world to see, behind that picture to the left.

What, you may ask, does this mean? How does it affect the price of tea in China? Well, other than being able to make some fantastic risqué jokes a biologist’s conferences, Dr. Venter can say some interesting things about himself.

For example, he now knows what identified diseases and conditions he is at genetic risk for; he can tailor medicines to himself, and otherwise tell what long-dead Sumerian gave him that nose. Generally, it’s biochemically “A Good Thing To Know” and can apply to everything from the likely risks you face, from alcoholism, to passing on said nose to the next generation.

It also cost on the order of 2 to 4 million dollars, so I wouldn’t head off to the geneticist’s just yet.

Nice and all, but when can my computer create Kelly LeBrock?

-N. Noctis (”It’s Alive!”)