David Malakoff, Report Upholds Public Access to Genetic Codes, Science 305(5691), 1692, 17 September 2004. (Access restricted to subscribers.) In a brief news piece on the National Research Council report that advocates ongoing open access to germ data, Malakoff provides some historical perspective: "The U.S. government typically requires all federally funded scientists to make their genome data public. Since scientists sequenced the first viral genome in 1975, they have released the genetic codes of more than 1100 viruses and 150 bacteria, including those of the dangerous pathogens that cause smallpox, anthrax, and the plague." Therefore much germ data is already openly available, and there is "little agreement" on the kind of restrictions to implement and what types of data to regulate, the panel contends. Biosecurity experts are quoted as expressing support for the NRC's recommendations.
Posted by
Garrett at 9/17/2004 10:22:00 AM.
The open access movement:
Putting peer-reviewed scientific and scholarly literature
on the internet. Making it available free of charge and
free of most copyright and licensing restrictions.
Removing the barriers to serious research.
I recommend the OA tracking project (OATP) as the best way to stay on top of new OA developments. You can read the OATP feed on a blog-like web page or subscribe to it by RSS, email, or Twitter. You can also help build the feed by tagging new developments you encounter.
