From: Alejandro Dubrovsky (s328940@student.uq.edu.au)
Date: Tue Jan 22 2002 - 22:10:42 MST
On Wed, 2002-01-23 at 10:09, Emlyn O'regan wrote:
> I was really encouraged by this story, particularly because I wasn't aware
> of this subculture of "biohackers". I've had a dream of installing an stm in
> the garage for a while now :-)
>
> Actually, the main reason I was encouraged was because I'm about to embark
> on a (second) BSc, in chemistry & biology, shooting down the molecular
> biology route. I've been reading some biology textbooks and its just so
> fascinating, not only because the micro/nano world is so interesting and has
> incredible potential, but because knowledge of it seems so coarse, even now.
> I have a feeling its not going to stay that way for long, however.
Yes, i also started a second BSc in Biochem last year (currently
cryonised), and was very tempted to setup a lab in my garage. One
problem was that i didn't have a garage. That is solved now, but the
other, more important, problem is cost. Centrifugues look cheap and
seem almost easy to build, but gels cost $A10 a pop, and the enzyme
prices are astronomical. Considering the percentage of botched pracs (>
75%) i did last year, it could become a very expensive hobby.
Alejandro
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