Interview in Future Medicine Magazine

http://www.futuremedicineonline.com/detail_news.php?id=78

‘Genome man’ of India

Sreekanth Ravindran | 10-March-April-2013

Sam Santhosh is the Chief Executive Officer of SciGenom, a genome company based in Kochi, which specialises in DNA sequencing. In an exclusive interview withFuture Medicine, he says that genomics will fuel the next revolution in medicine

By Sreekanth Ravindran

What inspired you to start SciGenom?

The completion of the first draft of the human genome by the International Human Genome Project in 2001 originally attracted me to this field. With my background in software engineering, I was intrigued by the opportunity produced through understanding and leveraging the genomic source code which is the language of life for all living beings. However, I had no connection with biology after high school and so it took a few years of reading and evening classes to get a thorough grasp of the subject. During this period, the DNA sequencing technology went through a revolution by exponentially reducing sequencing cost while increasing processing speed. For example, sequencing the first human genome took 10 years and cost about $3 billion, while, as of now, one can sequence a human genome in two weeks for $5,000.

With the advent of these new technologies called Next Generation Sequencing (NGS), I saw the opportunity of creating a company for genome sequencing and data analysis. Genomics can create dramatic changes in healthcare, agriculture, environmental protection, bio-fuel, and so on. Understanding the ‘language of life’ now is a momentous turning point just as the development of language itself for communication was a major tipping point in the history of our species about 30 to 40 thousand years ago. By deciphering the genome, humanity will be able to move to the next level of evolution.

This belief gave me the inspiration to start SciGenom– the name meaning ‘Science of the Genome’.  Though I have been living in the US for the last 20 years, I felt that with the changing global economic climate, I should start my new company in India and since I am from Kerala, I chose Kochi as the starting location.

How progressive and developed is the Indian genome industry and what are its advantages or shortcomings in comparison with the West?

The Indian genome industry is still in its infancy and has yet to fully develop. At the same time, we have many advantages compared to the West, includinglower manpower cost, strength in information technology and a growing economy which makes us unique. The disadvantages are lack of scientific leadership and research expertise, and unpredictable regulations driven by populist politics. The first can be overcome by attracting Indian NRI scientists back to India and by collaborating with other research institutions in different parts of the world. The second requires time and improvements in education throughout India.

What are the ethical issues preventing genome research companies from going the whole hog?

A critical issue is patient confidentiality and ensuring the individual understands what their genetic results mean. Another dilemma is ownership of genomic data. With advances in genetic testing for disease prediction, a major question arises over what becomes the information and who determines its use.

Tell us about your tie-ups with international companies, agencies and governmental bodies, and your areas of research. Are you faced with any policy bottlenecks?

We have research collaborations with Dr Schuster’s lab in Penn State College, Pennsylvania, and with the University of Toronto in Canada. Our areas of research are in molecular diagnostics, cancer treatment and metagenomics. In molecular diagnostics, our goal is to reduce the cost of genetic tests and make it affordable to all sections of the population. In cancer, we are looking at familial cancer and some forms of cancer that are more prevalent in India and hence have not attracted much attention in the West. In metagenomics, we are exploring the microbial communities in several water sources and soil samples to better understand the effect of bacteria and other microbes on human health and society.

Policy bottlenecks have not significantly affected our operations till date. However, some outdated rules like the restriction on sending human samples abroad as well as lack of regulations in medical diagnostics creates confusion in the field.

Were any of the Indian companies or individuals part of the international human genome project? How much of the research findings have made it to the mainstream medical practices so far and how far is India in making these solutions available to the common man?

India was not part of the original human genome sequencing project. However, CSIR sponsored Human Variome Project starting in 2003mapped variations in1,000 medically important genes across various groups in India.  Currently, India is part of the International Cancer Genome project where scientists from across the world are using sequencing technologies to understand cancer.

Research findings from the human genome project and the cancer genome projects are starting tomake personalised medicine a reality. However, given that such applications are in its infancy,it will be sometime before all the information is fully applied in mainstream practice of medicine. For those interested further on this topic I would urge them to read “The creative destruction of medicine” by DrEric Topol.

Is India lagging behind in streamlining genomic education and research? Do you have any suggestions?

India is definitely lagging behind in genomic education and research. In this regard, I have a few suggestions to make. When it comes to research, we need to follow the US model which has proved to be successful. The Indian government has already done well in the area of funding by providing large number of grants and creating public-private partnership schemes. What we need to do is attract not only NRI scientists to come back but also foreign scientists to set up labs in India and provide them sustained support with grants covering longer periods of time.

In education, we need to develop our own model. With the world’s largest youth population, poor infrastructure, lack of qualified teachers, etc we have significant challenges. One way to solve this gap is by leapfrogging over older models as we did with computers and telecommunications. We need to enable long distance learning, leveraging the internet and modifying the education system so that what the student learns matches the industry requirements. Furthermore, greater emphasis needs to be given to science – I would even recommend having a science track in MBA programmes like they have for Finance, Marketing, HR, IT etc. This will generate more business managers with a proper understanding in science who can lead our country into the next decade.

What are your future plans?

SciGenom will continue to build its current offerings in DNA sequencing, Bioinformatics and Medical Diagnostics. Later this year,we plan to spin off our medical diagnostics division (MedGenome) as a separate company with a CLIA certified central lab in Chennai and satellite labs in all major cities throughoutIndia. We plan to raise about $5M for this expansion.

Do you think India can emerge a leader in the area of genomics with its scientific manpower edge over others? How can we arrest brain-drain and make brain-gain in this field?

It will be difficult for India to take leadership in this field, but we can become a strong player if we play our cards well. At present, we don’t have an edge in scientific manpower– we lack expertise and leadership. However, brain-drain in the short term still works well for us, as we lack the facilities to teach them all, our youngsters can go out and learn in the best labs across the globe. What we need to do is to attract them back,along with already-trained NRI scientists,with advantageousopportunities in India.

We also have to have a realistic understanding of where we stand today. India, at present,has less than 5,000 qualified biology scientists in the whole country.The US, on the other hand, has that number in one of their largeruniversities and they have hundreds of such universities. Their spending on research is also astronomical compared to what we can afford. So we need to be clever in developing a strategy. It will be good for India to understand how smaller countries like South Korea and Singapore are contributing by focusing on a specific area critical to their national interest. For example, Singapore faces a shortage of fresh water – about 70 per centof it comes from Malaysia. Singapore has made it their goal to become self sufficient within the next five years. They aim to do this by achieving 100 per cent reuse of waste water, by using genomic technologies in waste water treatment. Arguably, they can achieve world leadership in that field. India can learn much from these approaches.

Do you think Indian hospital and healthcare chains are at par with their Western counterparts in the field of genomics? Is there a difference in the Indian and Western approach towards this emerging science?

Applying genomics to healthcare is new everywhere in the world. However, the Westis adopting it much faster than us but they also have their own challenges due to the more complex healthcare systems and role played by insurance companies. The problem with our approach is that we lack a clear plan. We have to make a cohesive approach taking into account our genetic heritage, diversity and challenges.

Is the common man in India aware of the real benefits of genomics? Do you think there should be awareness campaigns to generate more interest in this subject?

Even in the West, the common man has yet to become aware of the full benefits of genomics. In India, we definitely need to have awareness campaigns and other schemes for all sections of society to understand and take advantage of this knowledge. For example, farmers can breed better varieties of crops if they understand the genes that affect many of the traits that they are looking for.

The Creative Destruction of Medicine by Eric Topol (Book Review)

Doctors Beware!

Every revolution shows the incumbents in poor light - they look foolish, stubborn and indecisive. Eric Topol shows how breakthrough growth in mobile phones, wireless technologies and genomics, and their convergence is revolutionizing Medicine and Healthcare but the current 'high priests' whether it is doctors or the bureaucracy dont seem to be getting it. Nevertheless the flow seems to be irreversible as informed consumers empower themselves and push for new solutions that will provide better care, cheaper and more effective medicines, and democratize the healthcare system. Topols' stories about the shortcomings on the current system are scary and he is very tough on the members of his profession. Other players in the ecosystem like the Pharma companies also do not escape his sharp criticism. He will not be making many friends with this book - however it will be tremendously useful to the readers in multiple ways - as an individual on how to plan for your healthcare, as a student on planning your career, as an investor or entrepreneur for understanding opportunities that would create revolutionary wealth!. For people in the healthcare profession this should be a wake up call. I would urge all to read this book.

Getting Smart by Tom Vander Ark

Transforming Education through Personal Digital Learning!


We are all learners. If you are not learning something new every day, you might as well be dead. However opportunities for formal learning were very limited till a few years back. Access to content, teachers and facilities were limited to a privileged few in the world. That is now changing – digital technologies, cheap and high bandwidth internet connections and a global bunch of eduprenuers are now offering learning opportunities to all – irrespective of where you are and how much money you have.

Tom Vander Ark shows in ‘Getting Smart’ how this wave is transforming education across the world and what students, parents, teachers, leaders, and investors should do to take advantage of this revolution. Tom starts of the book by explaining what ‘personal digital learning’ is, and how it can overcome the current challenges faced by the American education system. Then in separate chapters on ‘Customization – building the right playlist for each student’, ‘Motivation- getting everyone into the learning game’, ‘Equalization – Connecting all students to Excellence’, ‘Integration – putting it all together to make schools smarter’, ‘Innovation – Policies that will make it happen’, ‘Investment – paying for innovation’, and finally ‘Employment – changing our job descriptions’ , Tom brings it all together to make you smarter.

Each chapter has clear predictions on future trends over the next five to ten years and very interesting links to a number of companies and organizations across the world that are active players in this domain. For any one interested in learning or in the future of education, this book is a must read.

The God Species by Mark Lynas - Book Review

Achieving sustainable growth within the Planetary boundaries




Global warming has been a `hot' topic for some time - but this book is not just about global warming and climate change. Going much beyond that, Mark Lynas takes us though the concept of planetary boundaries - ecological limits of the Earth's systems crossing which can push the planet into a death spiral. The book describes nine such planetary boundaries and they are: (1) Biodiversity loss (2) Climate change (3) Nitrogen cycle (4) Land use change (5) Global Fresh water use (6) Chemical Pollution (7) Atmospheric aerosol loading (7) Ocean acidification (8) Stratospheric Ozone depletion. Specific boundary limits and current data are provided for all boundaries except two - items 6 and 7. Explaining the basic science in detail, Mark shows that the debate should move from whether the dangers are real or not to how we should tackle them. More importantly, Mark shows that how many of them are interlinked and a hasty approach to solving any one of them without understanding the connected implications can lead to severe problems.

Moving himself away from the traditional Green ideologies, Mark agrees with Stewart Brand in pushing for Nuclear Power, Genetic engineering and promoting urban living. Mark also demolishes the current popular notion especially among the Republicans in the U.S that measure for protecting the environment is economically counter productive and can retard growth. The most important takeaway for me from this book was that while ecological limits are real, economic limits are not.

I found myself in agreement with most of the concepts developed by the author but am still not convinced about Nuclear power. More data will be needed to convince the public about the safety of nuclear energy, and author's handling of Chernobyl and Fukushima does not match the depth shown in other areas. I had also visited Chernobyl recently and was amazed at the effort still need to contain the contamination. Mark makes no mention of the new cover being built to cover the Chernobyl plant which hopefully will keep it safe for the next 100 years.

Though the book starts off with the developments in genomics, further coverage in the book on DNA sequencing and its potential is very limited. But the author does bravely go into articulating that sooner or later, our species would have to play `God' and take more active efforts in managing the planet through the use of our Science & Technology.

My iPad2 - Gary Rosenzweig (Book Review)

Falling in Love


The iPad is such an easy device to use and fall in love with that one might initially find it difficult to believe that a user manual is needed for it. But, as Gary Rosenzweig the author of My iPad2 says, in any relationship - when you fall in love - you get the urge to change and customize it. And that is when a user manual comes to good use.

In reality,the iPad is such a powerful device that a manual is very helpful if you want to take full advantage of its features. And 'My iPad2' is an excellent manual. Beautiful colour layouts, great presentation, useful tips, seamless ordering and an occasional dose of humor makes this a collector's item. Not only are the basic iPad applications like email, camera, video, and browsing explained, but add on applications like Pages, Numbers and Keynote are also covered well. Using this book has already improved my productivity by over 25%. I would recommend it very strongly to anyone who wants to take full advantage of the iPad.

Physics of the Future by Michio Kaku - Book Review

The Future is Science



Though the book is titled `Physics of the Future', Michio Kaku covers all relevant Science and Technology. In separate chapters he looks at the future of Computers, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Nanotechnology, Energy and Space Travel over the next one hundred years. In each chapter he splits the future into three sections - Near Future (Present to 2030), Mid Century (2030 to 2070) and Far Future (2070 to 2100). Based on interviews with over 300 scientists and visits to many of the cutting edge labs across the world, Mr.Kaku brings the latest in Science to our reading rooms.

There are an infinity of possible Futures. Ranging from Ray Kurzweil's Singularity to orthodox Doomsday scenarios, we can conjure up any vision to our liking. But irrespective of the future one can dream about, it will be Science that will be driving it. Whether it will be computers smarter than humans, self driving cars, nanobots curing diseases or space colonies, Mr.Kaku shows us where the Science now has reached in each area and the challenges ahead.

The book ends with the future of Wealth and of Humanity. Written in a very easy to understand form, the book is fun to read. Especially useful is the prediction of the Near Future which I feel is critical for all planning and decision making. I liked this book better than the author's earlier `Physics of the Impossible'. A lot of the basic content is the same, but this book is more relevant.

Predictable Magic by Deepa Prahalad & Ravi Sawhney

Physcho-Aesthetics: Aligning Product design to Business Strategy






Product Design is mostly considered as an art form. However in ‘Predictable Magic’, Deepa Prahlad and Ravi Sawhney introduces a framework that they call Phsycho-Aesthetics, through which the design process can be aligned to corporate strategy enabling business to come up with successful product designs. Companies like Apple, Google and Amazon have shown how critical it is to build deep emotional connections between their consumers and product brands. But how do we map this process? How doe we get business managers, engineering professionals and designers on the same page? Read this book to understand how the Phsycho-Aesthetics approach will help a company achieve this.

In the first part of the ebook, the authors show you how their framework can help in developing user-centric designs through consumer ‘personas’, mapping business goals to product features, targeting specific segments with unmet needs, and develop market winning strategies. In the second part they take you through the implementation of the design strategy and how to continuously engage the customers. With many real life case studies understanding of the framework becomes very easy.

I am not sure if entirely new designs or concepts can be created using the Pyshco-Aesthetics approach, but it will definitely help any entrepreneur, business manager or designer in validating their product design approach.

Singularity University Briefing - Sept 13, 2010 9.30 AM (PDT)

Listen to this free webinar from the Singularity University!

Learn about the projects (world changing ideas!!!) the Singularity University students developed during their 2010 Graduate program.

Hear Ray Kurzweil, Dan Barry & Peter Diamandis talk about these breakthrough ideas...

Sign up at http://exclusive.singularityu.org/

You wont regret it.

Kindle is dead - Long live the iPad

After two months of using the iPad as an ebook reader, here is my conclusion - the iPad is definitely better than the Kindle for reading ebooks.

Reasons:

(a) Ease of use - flipping the pages is such an experience, that one would want to just keep doing that....

(b) Pictures and tables are hundred times better in the iPad - especially the ability to zoom; for technical books Kindle is such a pain

(c) Battery charge lasts long enough - though iPad battery does not last as long as the Kindle, over 10 hrs of use time from one charge is good enough

(d) Magazines in the iPad - wow!!!! Just try National Geographic in the iPad using software like Zinio - looks even better than the print edition

Now, if you consider the other uses of iPad as a tablet, why would anyone carry the Kindle when the iPad can do it all.

Btw, I own three Kindles - any buyers out there?

iPad vs eBook Reader

The Jury is still out....

After a couple of weeks of using the iPad, I am still unable to make a categorical decision whether the iPad will be the eBook reader killer. So I will list the pros and cons of the iPad when you use it to read ebooks.

Pros:

(a) The iPhone like interface is cool and the iPad offers many other applications as compared to a dedicated eBook reader
(b) All the books you bought for Kindle are available in the iPad for no additional charge
(c) The Book Directory is much better than that of Kindle
(d) Flipping pages is much easier because of the touch screen
(e) Pictures and tables come up much better in the iPad - you can enlarge them in the iPad by dragging two fingers on the screen, like in the iPhone
(f) Battery lasts for more than 10 hrs of usage - so this is not going to be as much of an issue

Cons:

(a) The screen reflects light - so readability is not as good as the dedicated ebook reader
(b) The additional weight of about 800 gms (compared to an ebook reader) is a hassle
(c) The price is about twice as much

My conclusion:

Even if the iPad does not kill off the eBook reader right away, it will definitely reduce its market share. And when iPad begins to support multiple applications it will really start being a better value proposition than the ebook reader. One of the biggest challenges all of us face is to decide how many devices to carry - you are anyway stuck with a cell phone (maybe two) and a laptop. The eBook reader becomes the third device - well, if the iPad can provide the functionality of the laptop and the eBook reader it can become the eBook reader killer; Let us wait and see!!!

iPad - the ebook reader killer?

The iPad is here!! As a geek I did make sure I got mine on the first day by preordering it. My first impression? - I like it a lot!.

There were many reports in the last few months that the iPad would challenge the ebook reader devices like Kindle and Nook, but I did not take that very seriously. But I am having second thoughts now. The iPad sold over 300,000 units in the first day and is expected to sell 5 to 7 million this year, but what caught my attention was that over 250,000 ebooks were downloaded by iPad users the first day!!! That is nearly 1 ebook per user which means most users are keen to try out the iPad for ebook reading too........

Amazon has been quick to release the Kindle software for iPad - well I guess they plan to hedge their bets and focus on their content sales if the Kindle device loses out the iPad. I installed the Kindle software in my iPad and frankly the user experience on the iPad is much better than the Kindle. I could access all the books that I had purchased on Kindle and the book arrangement is much better than how it comes on Kindle. I tried a couple of old ebooks and the reading feel is also better with the backlit screen. So will the iPad now replace the Kindle? - I guess it will depend on two issues:

(a) Battery power - how long will the iPad battery last on a single charge? Kindle battery lasts for over a week supporting more than 7000 page flips
(b) Strain on the eyes - for continuous reading will the iPad screen add more eye strain

We will find out - I will post my conclusions soon.....

iPad is heavier than the Kindle by a few hundred grams but I did not find that to be much of a hassle yet.

Kindle goes International - a revolutionary step!!

Amazon is definitely an amazing company. When they launched the Kindle a couple of years back, the reaction from the publishing industry was rather muted. Well, the Sony ebook reader was already available and there were not many users. The industry was rather skeptical about Amazon's move - can a internet retailer develop and sell and consumer electronic product? Who will buy ebooks? After spending hours in front of a computer screen would professionals want to spend even their leisure time with another electronic screen? However, Amazon proved everybody wrong - not only did they keep improving the Kindle, but they built up their ebook collection quickly and steadily (now at over 350,000 titles) and continued to put pressure on the publishers to reduce the prices of the ebook versions. It became clear that the users loved the Kindle - especially the cellular wireless feature that allowed them to download the books from anywhere in the U.S, without a computer or an internet connection. I wonder how a consumer product giant like Sony could have missed out this feature!!

The Industry finally took notice - Barnes & Nobles announced the launch of the ebook reader (called Nook) with all Kindle features and more (part color LCD screen below the e-ink screen, book lending feature etc), Sony announced their next version with wireless, Plastic Logic and many others are now coming with their own products....

But that is when Amazon launched the bombshell - an international version of the Kindle which will work in 100 countries!! The rest of the pack now sits around with egg in their faces.......

Why is this move by Amazon revolutionary? Amazon had been concentrating only in the U.S as far as the Kindle is concerned. People knew they would eventually move into other markets - but that would typically be one country at a time - right? - you would think they would need country wise telecom connectivity & approvals, local marketing, support, regional rights for the content and so on. Well, I am not sure how they are handling all this - but they definitely managed to upstage everybody with this clever move of a simultaneous launch in 100 countries. And just like they did in the U.S in sticking to a online sales model (Kindle is not available through any retail stores in the U.S), they are doing the same internationally. You can order online at the Amazon web site from any of the 100 countries and they will ship it to you from the U.S. They will handle the customs duty and provide you with an estimate total cost upfront.

Is the product worth it? Absolutely!! In India the landed cost will come to about $400, and the price of ebook will be perceived as high - since paperback publications in India are available at normally 20% of the international price. But still if you normally read business books and other international publications (which you can get only at U.S prices), the Kindle will not only provide you immediate access to these content but also reduce your costs by about 50%. And think about the access now to the thousands of books that are normally out of print!

I am sure in the next couple of years, Amazon will sell many times more the International version of the Kindle than they have sold the U.S version. Though U.S remains the biggest single market in the world, we will now be able to see the effects of globalization and this will become a classic case study of how innovative U.S companies can leverage the global market without wasting time on building local outlets across the world - even for consumer products.

Solar power from space?

Science fiction to turn into reality!

Originally proposed by science fiction author Issac Asimov in 1941, the concept of a space station capturing solar energy and beaming it back to earth - seems to become a distinct possibility now.

Solaren, a start up based in Southern California plans to deploy a solar array in space, convert the solar energy into radio frequency waves and beam it back into earth. Unlike nuclear or coal fired plant which have a conversion efficiency of about 33 %, the RF conversion is supposed to get an efficiency of 90%. Further solar arrays will have 8 to 10 times the efficiency of terrestrial solar arrays since they can work continuously ( no night time) and there is no cloud cover or atmospheric impurities.

Find all this difficult to believe? Well, California's PG&E has requested approval from the California Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to enter into a power purchase agreement with Solaren Corp. in Southern California. Solaren would deploy a solar array into space to beam an average of 850 gigawatt hours (“GWh”) for the first year of the term, and 1,700 GWh per year over the remaining term, according to a filing to the PUC.

While Solaren would provide 200MW of electricity to PG&E, according to the filing with the PUC, Solaren anticipates generating a total 1,000MW from its satellite. Expected to go live by 2016.

Stimulus for Science & Technology

Now that Obama's $787B stimulus plan (ARRA -America Recovery and Reinvestment Act 2009) has moved into action, let us take a look at the one time bonanza Science & Technology is getting. Depending on how you classify the various line items the amount allocated for Science & Technology can vary from $55 Billion to $65 Billion to be spent in the next two years.

The major items for scientific research are:

1. $10.4B to National Institute of Health (NIH)
2. $1.12B to National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
3. $3B to National Science Foundation
4. $2B to the United States Department of Energy
5. $1.3B to University Research Facilities
6. $1B to NASA
7. $830M to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
8. $580M to National Institute of Standards and Technology
9. $140M to United States Geological Survey

Check the web sites for the above agencies to find out the details for usage of the funds.

The major items for Technology are: (I am not sure how one can track these - but check out Recovery.gov which is supposed to provide the information related to AARA fund usage)

1. $19B for Health Information Technology (of which $17.2B will be incentives provided through Medicare & Medicaid)
2. $11B for an electric 'smart grid'
3. $7.5B for complete broadband and wireless access
4. $2.5B for energy efficiency research
5. $2 B for advanced car battery systems
6. $400M for electric vehicle technologies

Not only do these provide great opportunities for research, but also will result in signifiant benefit to the economy in the next few years.

Kindle 2 - Continuing Innovation

Amazon recently released the second version of their ebook reader - Kindle 2. Here are my thoughts on the device:

Kindle definitely got better with the new version.

Major improvements:
1. The vertical menu bar went away. A joy stick replaced it - can access all parts of the screen
2. Thinner, looks very pleasing
3. The 'Next' and 'Prev' page buttons got smaller and better - no more accidental page flipping

Remaining drawbacks:
1. Keyboard has not improved; the small keys are very frustrating
2. Screen could have been bigger - lot of real estate wasted
3. Closed system still - please open up an SDK for third party applications

Why not another version of Kindle 2 - say Kindle 2' with touch screen, wifi and multi-language support? It will be more expensive, but I am sure many users will love it.

Benefits and Risks of the SaaS Model – A Case Study

Kindling along....

I finally got my Kindle from Amazon last month. After a wait of about 45 days (since placing the order) it was exciting to take a look at one of the latest gadgets. 

I like the device - strong points are:

1. Easy to read - very close to a book feeling

2. Fast download of books from amazon.com

3. Highlight and Note features are great

4. The best one - you can download a sample chapter of each available book before you buy it.

Downside:

1. Battery seems to last only a few hours 

2. Only over 100,000 books available in ebook format

3. Most of the good ones are expensive - about $9.99

4. Hey - and I cant show of the books I buy in my bookshelf!

I tried a few sample book and bought my first one - 'Your Inner fish: A Journey into the 3.5 billion-year history of the Human Body' by Neil Shubin.

More on that later...

$100M fund from Kleiner Perkins

iFund™
KPCB’s iFund™ is a $100M investment initiative that will fund market-changing ideas and products that extend the revolutionary new iPhone and iPod touch platform. The iFund™ is agnostic to size and stage of investment and will invest in companies building applications, services and components. Focus areas include location based services, social networking, mCommerce (including advertising and payments), communication, and entertainment. The iFund™ will back innovators pursuing transformative, high-impact ideas with an eye towards building independent durable companies atop the iPhone / iPod touch platform.
"A revolutionary new platform is a rare and prized opportunity for entrepreneurs, and that's exactly what Apple has created with iPhone and iPod touch," said John Doerr, Partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. "We think several significant new companies will emerge as this new platform evolves, and the iFund™ will empower them to realize their full potential."
"Developers are already bursting with ideas for the iPhone and iPod touch, and now they have the chance to turn those ideas into great companies with the help of world-class venture capitalists," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "We can't wait to start working with Kleiner Perkins and the companies they fund through this new initiative."
The iFund™ will be managed by KPCB Partner Matt Murphy in collaboration with partners Chi-Hua Chien, John Doerr, Bill Joy, Randy Komisar, Ellen Pao and Ted Schlein. Apple will provide KPCB with market insight and support.

iPhone SDK - Good Opportunity?

Apple Announces iPhone 2.0 Software Beta
Includes SDK & Built-in Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync
CUPERTINO, California—March 6, 2008—Apple® today previewed its iPhone™ 2.0 software, scheduled for release this June, and announced the immediate availability of a beta release of the software to selected developers and enterprise customers. The iPhone 2.0 beta release includes both the iPhone Software Development Kit (SDK) as well as new enterprise features such as support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync to provide secure, over-the-air push email, contacts and calendars as well as remote wipe, and the addition of Cisco IPsec VPN for encrypted access to private corporate networks.
“We’re excited about creating a vibrant third party developer community with potentially thousands of native applications for iPhone and iPod touch,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “iPhone’s enterprise features combined with its revolutionary Multi-Touch user interface and advanced software architecture provide the best user experience and the most advanced software platform ever for a mobile device.”
The iPhone SDK provides developers with a rich set of Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) and tools to create innovative applications for iPhone and iPod® touch. Starting today, anyone can download the beta iPhone SDK for free and run the iPhone Simulator on their Mac®. Apple today also introduced its new iPhone Developer Program, giving developers everything they need to create native applications, and the new App Store, a breakthrough way for developers to wirelessly deliver their applications to iPhone and iPod touch users.
With the iPhone SDK, third party developers will be able to build native applications for the iPhone with a rich set of APIs, including programming interfaces for Core OS, Core Services, Media and Cocoa Touch technologies. The iPhone SDK will allow developers to create amazing applications that leverage the iPhone’s groundbreaking Multi-Touch™ user interface, animation technology, large storage, built-in three-axis accelerometer and geographical location technology to deliver truly innovative mobile applications.