'Impressed, but Puzzled'

Derek Lowe at In the Pipeline blogs about a recent post from Rob Carlson at Synthesis who recently toured a garage lab in the Silicon Valley. Carlson disclosed only vague details about the work that "biohackers" are doing in the garage; he only mentions that the participants are "screening for anti-cancer compounds," and includes two color photos depicting portions of an impressive-looking setup. Lowe writes that, looking at the photos, he can't quite imagine the scenario as it's described. "Finding compounds to screen, that must be hard when you're working where the Honda used to be parked," he writes, adding to "put me down as impressed, but puzzled." Comments on Lowe's post raised questions on the cost of reagents, and how the garage biologist obtained his/her equipment. Still, Carlson says that "garage innovation is at the heart of the way Silicon Valley works, and it is envied around the world."