Vainglorious? Craig Venter? Yes, but explicit grappling with that prominent and, to some, irritating aspect of this entrepreneurial rich guy and brilliantly productive genomics researcher comes up deep and rather sympathetically in Nicholas Wade’s lead piece in this week’s Science Times. The news: In PLoS-Biology Venter’s institute is publishing its founder’s own genome. It is parsed and diagrammed in far more detail, Wade reports, than any other out there. Many may look knowingly at the illus (a portion included, right) and its notation of the gene variant MAOA, associated with higher risk of antisocial behavior-conduct disorder. But to make anything of it is just mean — probably reflecting an overactive Green Gene (for envy). Most interesting to readers who already know something about the man is likely to be Wade’s quickie profile of his life — and nod to his upcoming autobiography — at the story’s end. The NYTimes online story includes a link to the new genome analysis — ditto here.

Other notable stories and heds include:

William Yardley – ‘Bringing the Ocean to the World,’ in High-Tech : An excellent review of a new generation of real-time underwater observatories. Odd that it doesn’t include the Brit line of automated bouys watching the N. Atlantic meridianal overturning currents.

John Schwartz – Film Takes Us Back 38 Years, to That First Walk : Review of new documentary of the Apollo astronauts and their memories of their immense feat.

Natalie Angier – A Supple Casing, Prone to Damage : On Skin. Take care of it because it’s wondrous stuff, she advises.

Ben Daitz MD — Heirs to a Rare Legacy in New Mexico : A story on genetic diseases that puts a rare light on one of the US’s most distinctive ethnic groups — the Spanish, as distinct from Hispanics and many of whom live in New Mexico villages their ancestors founded about 400 years ago.

Manoj Jain MD — Putting Pay On the Line To Improve Health Care : Jain is a skilled essayist from Tennessee. This one is about the gamble in new federal incentives for effective care. His writings have appeared in the Memphis Commercial-Appeal as well as the NYTimes. More of him at his website.

Benedict Carey – Bipolar Illness Soars as a Diagnosis for the Young : Seriously scary stats on diagnosis of — and heavy drug treatment for — bipolar disorders in children. It’s up 40 times over in a decade. Drug companies are making immense profits. It seems to provide, without explicitness, another reason for some kind of single payer, centrally controlled health care. Either we need a fix for overdiagnosis, or help for parents faced with huge drug bills, or both. Other stories on report tracked in separate post.

Plenty More. Whole Section Here.

-CP

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