Innovation Anthology #389:
April 15th marks the first ever Alberta DNA Day.
It was April 1953 that scientists James Watson and Francis Crick published their description of the double helix structure of deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA.
DNA Day has been observed in the United States for several years now. And according to Mike Spear from Genome Alberta, his group believes this is a great way to increase public awareness of the important role DNA and the study of genomics plays in our daily lives.
MIKE SPEAR: Some people, genetics is like fate, and that’s it. There’s no turning back. I think there also needs to be more awareness about the potential for genetics in agriculture, in crops, in personalized medicine, in disease treatment. And that doesn’t mean Frankenstein locked away in a lab somewhere. It’s very straight forward technology sometimes that just means what we’re doing is improving the breeding of our livestock or the health of our crops without having to get involved in anything ultra futuristic or anything like that.
Mike Spear says Alberta DNA Day will be marked with online conversations with geneticists and other activities listed at www.Facebook.GenomeAlberta.ca
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I’M CHERYL CROUCHER
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Program Date: 2011-04-14