At this year’s ATA Science Council conference I talked about how often these days we are faced with both fact and fiction about DNA. I also talked about how things that were fiction back in the 1990’s are now reality less than 15 years later. I mentioned that movies such as Gattaca are great for generating discussion about the issues and societal impact. I’m faced with this conflicting juxtaposition of ideas as I write this blog. In my newspaper today….

I read that the complete genome sequence for woolly mammoths has been revealed. They tell us that “Resurrecting the iconic creature would not be easy, but scientists say genetic and reproductive technology is advancing so quickly that the idea of bringing the mammoth back to life is not as implausible as it sounds.” Furthermore, they tell us that the DNA blueprint for Neanderthal is almost complete. The October issue of National Geographic also had an article on the Last of the Neaderthals which looks closely at the DNA of the Neanderthals. Speculation runs rampant on bringing there organisms back to life.

While I’m reading the paper, I’ve got my TV going in the background. The movie I’m watching is Deep Blue Sea. Hilarious! Maybe not!! In this movie, Sharks were genetically engineered to produce a drug necessary for the treatment of Alzheimer's. Well, some protocols are not followed and the sharks are engineered to get bigger. Theoretically, bigger sharks, bigger brains: bigger brains, more drug produced: happy investors….. Of course you can guess what happens. The sharks get out of hand and a deadly game of hunter and hunted ensues. This is a great example of unintended consequences.

In my previous blog posting, I indicated that I had spent some time with Genome Alberta’s Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Gijs van Rooijen in October. He filled me in on the latest developments coming out of Alberta in the field of Genomics. We have prepared a Genomics Primer which reviews the basics from Mendel to Metagenomics and it is now available in our download section. Genome Alberta is pleased to continue providing on-going professional development for teachers in the rapidly growing field of Genomics.