While the economy may (or may not) be in a nosedive, the methods available to decode DNA are, without a doubt, in the midst of a major growth spurt. It is arguably one of the most significant metamorphoses to occur in the 20-year history of modern genetic technology.
The frenzy originates from new technologies that read — or “sequence” — DNA faster, better and cheaper than the once predominant technique, the Sanger method. That tried and true way of reading genes reached its heyday with the sequencing of the human genome and that of many other organisms, large and small.