Let's talk about genomics in 2014. Eric Schmidt mentioned in a recent interview, and a lot of us have been wondering about it for the last few years. What is it? What is its potential? Is it worth the time and resources?
Without going into a whole history lesson about what DNA is and how important it is to understand how the human body works, let's just agree on the fact that the human body is very complex, and took a long time to figure out, and even as it stands, we still don't have all the answers. This is where technology, serious technology, will finally merge into the medical domain.
A quick peek at medical tech: A 3,000 year old prosthetic toe was found on a mummy. Today, there are 3D printers capable of creating prosthetic toes, and even casts to help out with a broken arm. Prosthetics is a great solution to solve issues with aesthetics, or even functionality, but what about internal, life-threatening problems? This is where we will need more technical help in the future. This is the reason nanotechnology and cloning have always been at the forefront of these topics.
The reason we still need help with genomics, is because cancer still remains one of the main causes of mortality in our modern world. It's everyone's hope that we could just prevent, or even predict cancer.
The more details we can study about the human cell, the more chance we have of making a breakthrough discovery. No research is failed research, any progress helps, and the progress we make in the tech industry trickles down to other industries.
Genomics will get a huge boost in 2014 due to the increased demand for data management, and the relatively large advancement in data handling capabilities (larger and faster hard drives, etc). This will allow us to continue research at a faster rate, and create an environment where the discoveries of problems will outpace the ability to correct them. The Watson Computer could be used next year as well.
Last night I spent New Year's Eve with Colombians. Their tradition is to eat 12 grapes, right after midnight. Eating the 12 grapes ensures a year of prosperity, and wards away evil. As we ate our grapes and wished each other health and happiness, I appreciated that moment, and I appreciated everyone caring about each other. My hope is that someday, on New Year's Eve, we won't need to wish each other health & happiness, we will be able to leave out that pesky "health" part.....because we'll have it figured out, and we won't need to rely on wishes and luck to live a healthy life. All we'd need would be the grapes and the company. Happy New Year everyone!
Without going into a whole history lesson about what DNA is and how important it is to understand how the human body works, let's just agree on the fact that the human body is very complex, and took a long time to figure out, and even as it stands, we still don't have all the answers. This is where technology, serious technology, will finally merge into the medical domain.
A quick peek at medical tech: A 3,000 year old prosthetic toe was found on a mummy. Today, there are 3D printers capable of creating prosthetic toes, and even casts to help out with a broken arm. Prosthetics is a great solution to solve issues with aesthetics, or even functionality, but what about internal, life-threatening problems? This is where we will need more technical help in the future. This is the reason nanotechnology and cloning have always been at the forefront of these topics.
The reason we still need help with genomics, is because cancer still remains one of the main causes of mortality in our modern world. It's everyone's hope that we could just prevent, or even predict cancer.
The more details we can study about the human cell, the more chance we have of making a breakthrough discovery. No research is failed research, any progress helps, and the progress we make in the tech industry trickles down to other industries.
Genomics will get a huge boost in 2014 due to the increased demand for data management, and the relatively large advancement in data handling capabilities (larger and faster hard drives, etc). This will allow us to continue research at a faster rate, and create an environment where the discoveries of problems will outpace the ability to correct them. The Watson Computer could be used next year as well.
Last night I spent New Year's Eve with Colombians. Their tradition is to eat 12 grapes, right after midnight. Eating the 12 grapes ensures a year of prosperity, and wards away evil. As we ate our grapes and wished each other health and happiness, I appreciated that moment, and I appreciated everyone caring about each other. My hope is that someday, on New Year's Eve, we won't need to wish each other health & happiness, we will be able to leave out that pesky "health" part.....because we'll have it figured out, and we won't need to rely on wishes and luck to live a healthy life. All we'd need would be the grapes and the company. Happy New Year everyone!
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