Gene genie

Geneticists agree they have taken a risk by releasing a long genetic sequence, thought to contain a gene that can make people susceptible to breast cancer, onto the Internet. The scientists, from the Sanger Centre at Cambridge and Washington University in Missouri, have released the data in order to help groups around the world that are searching for the gene. But the move could be counterproductive because the first group that identifies mutations to the gene using the Internet data could still apply for patents.