When Science published Celera Genomics Group's human genome paper last year, many scientists, especially bioinformaticians, were less than pleased with the unusual restrictions put on data access.1 The most odious: The data was not submitted to GenBank, and academic researchers were entitled to only one megabase of data at a time without further permission. Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research's Center for Genome Research director Eric Lander, one of the most outspoken critics of the Science-Celera agreement, calls the case an aberration and doubts that Science, whose efforts he terms "well-intentioned," would do the same thing again.
"Yes, I think it's an aberration," Science editor in chief Don Kennedy told The Scientist. "But that doesn't mean I'm prepared to say never." Kennedy won't rule out future exceptions to conventional publishing practices. He says that Science's criterion remains the same: "If the public benefits from publishing...
Interested in reading more?
Become a Member of
Receive full access to digital editions of The Scientist, as well as TS Digest, feature stories, more than 35 years of archives, and much more!