Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Bits and Pieces - March 30, 2010

Ted Sorensen, a member of President John F. Kennedy's staff, tells us that it's been proclaimed before: new president doesn't know what he's doing, staff is out of control, etc etc.

Patents On Breast Cancer Genes Ruled Invalid In ACLU/PubPat Case. One of the peculiarities arising from the ability to sequence DNA has been the patenting of genes. Patents are supposed to be connected to invention, not decipherment. Nobody is inventing these genes, just finding out how they are made. In this case, there have been lawsuits against research on breast cancer by the "owners" of these genes. The ruling is by a New York federal court, so we can expect this to go to the Supreme Court.

More New START:
Prospects in the Senate. For all his noise, Jon Kyl hasn't declared opposition yet.

Questions the Heritage Foundation would like answered. Probably a foretaste of the issues Republicans will raise in the Senate.

Here's another take on a Fissile Material Control Treaty. This one follows a more standard line from the standard arms control organizations. (h/t to Avner Cohen via FB)

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