Love it or hate it, DNA Day is upon us. To celebrate the US holiday, the National Human Genome Research Institute has opened a National DNA Day Online Chatroom, in which NHGRI staffers are answering questions from the public on topics ranging from whether reverse aging is possible in humans — a la the Hollywood film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button — to whether James Watson is "still doing research or enjoying retirement." In comments on NHGRI's DNA Day page, visitors have expressed mixed feelings about the holiday over the course of the year:
And, more recently:
Meanwhile, the RCSB Protein Data Bank is celebrating DNA Day by offering a downloadable 3-D paper model of the double helix. Over at the Saint Louis Science Center in Missouri, the X Prize Foundation is showcasing "the world's largest LEGO DNA sculpture, the 'Building Bricks of Life,'" crafted by artist Nathan Sawaya. And researchers at the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology in Huntsville, Ala., are "taking it outside" for DNA Day 2011, with a guided stroll along the double helix walkway of McMillian Park and a "genomic treasure hunt."