Cracking the Genetic Code
With the mapping of the human genome by J. Craig Venter and Francis Collins [SCIENCE, July 3], man will be able to lengthen his life-span by eradicating many of the existing causes of disease and death. And this breakthrough raises the ethical question of how to care for those nonproductive individuals who will eventually overwhelm Social Security and private retirement plans. ERLAND R. NIELSEN Pahrump, Nev.
Kudos to everyone involved in the Human Genome Project for achieving a monumental milestone. The real winner of the race to map the genome is not Venter; his company, Celera Genomics;...