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Books Bite the Dust
AIA-FL Blog ^ | June 22, 2010 | Deborah Lambert

Posted on 06/22/2010 7:38:59 AM PDT by bs9021

Books Bite the Dust

Deborah Lambert, June 22, 2010

Given the lack of student interest in reading these days, it’s no surprise that the University of California at Berkeley decided to completely change the dynamics of the summer reading list.

In fact, this year they didn’t even attempt to saddle incoming freshmen with a book. Instead they have assigned the non-reading task of “returning a cotton swab with cells from the insides of their cheeks.”

The school will analyze the returned samples for “three genes that help regulate the ability to metabolize alcohol, lactose and folates,” said the New York Times.

“Testing is voluntary and confidential.” Results will be posted on a website, using the same bar code ID provided by the student.

As the “first mass genetic testing by a university,” the Berkeley program has already raised eyebrows among those concerned with responsible use of human biotechnologies....

(Excerpt) Read more at academia.org ...


TOPICS: Education; Politics; Science; Society
KEYWORDS: education; freshmen; genetics; ucberkeley

1 posted on 06/22/2010 7:39:00 AM PDT by bs9021
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To: bs9021

“Word has it that the experiment might legitimize or even promote the “controversial direct-to-consumer genetics testing industry,” which some experts like Jesse Reynolds, a policy analyst at the Center for Genetics and Society, believe is tantamount to “practicing medicine without a license.”

On a lighter note, some Berkeley officials suggested that this summer assignment which takes less than three seconds would have a much higher completion rate. “If we assigned them a book, it would be out of date by the time they read it,” said Alix Schwartz, director of academic planning for the college of letters and sciences.

To which John Leo responded that anything by “Shakespeare, Plato, Voltaire, comic books and oh so many other once-pertinent works” would also be out of date.”

True knowledge offends the elite. Wisdom has been out of fashion with the elite along time ago. So, what are you left with?


2 posted on 06/22/2010 7:44:47 AM PDT by nmh (Intelligent people recognize Intelligent Design (God).)
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To: bs9021
The school will analyze the returned samples for “three genes that help regulate the ability to metabolize alcohol, lactose and folates,”
What about thems with da' Gangsta' gene?
Don't we want to "help" them too?

3 posted on 06/22/2010 7:55:10 AM PDT by oh8eleven (RVN '67-'68)
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To: bs9021
It appears that you are lactose intolerant, always land on your feet and only have 38 chromosomes instead of the usual 46.
4 posted on 06/22/2010 8:05:32 AM PDT by KarlInOhio (I am so immune to satire that I ate three Irish children after reading Swift's "A Modest Proposal")
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