The growing excitement about the genome project is marred by a worry that something is wrong - a tension in the minds of many biologist reflected in the frequent declaration that sequencing is boring. Our paradigm is changing. Molecular biology, from which has sprung the attitude that the best approach is to identify a relevant region of DNA, a gene, and then to clone and sequence it before proceeding, is now the underpinning of all biological science. Biology has been transformed by the ability to make genes and then the gene products to order. Developmental biology now looks first for a gene to specify a form in the embryo.
Cellular biology looks to the gene to specify a structural element.
And medicine looks to genes to yield the body's proteins or to trace causes for illnesses. Legal issues of life or death can turn on DNA fingerprints. And now the genome project contemplates working out the complete DNA pattern and listing every one of the genes that characterize all of the model species that biologist study - ourselves even included. One looks up a recipe in the Maniatis book, or sometimes simply buys a kit and follows the instructions in the inserted instructional leaflet. Scientists write letters bemoaning the fact that students no longer understand how their experiments really work.