Sixty years ago, scientists first discovered DNA, the structure
in which a person’s genes are encoded. Since then, our knowledge
of the genome has revolutionized medicine. But when it comes to
the U.S. legal system, important questions about what a gene is
remain unsolved. Here's one question: If a gene is patentable,
does that mean a company can claim the rights to the gene's
offspring? The U.S. patent law was written in 1793, and it
certainly didn’t take into consideration a biological invention
that could make endless copies of itself. So when Vernon Bowman,
a 75-year-old farmer, decided to save some cash and buy seeds
from a bulk grain distributor (seeds that were arguably
protected by a patent), did he break intellectual property law?
Here's another: Do law enforcement need a search warrant to take
a sample of a person's DNA? When the state of Maryland swabbed
the cheek cells of Alonzo King when he was booked for assault,
were they violating his Fourth Amendment right to privacy, since
those cells would