Forum calls on lovers of verse to find muse in genomics

Shall I compare 바카라사이트e to some DNA? Or to paraphrase Wordsworth: "Milton! thou should'st be living at this hour: Genomics hath need of 바카라사이트e."

Biologist bards have been invited to take inspiration from 바카라사이트 field of genomics in a poetry competition run by 바카라사이트 Economic and Social Research Council's Genomics Forum. The call for entries poses philosophical and factual questions around 바카라사이트 mapping of 바카라사이트 human genome, which was completed in 2007, such as: "Do we even want to live for ever? Or, like 바카라사이트 Sibyl, do we think that death gives life its meaning?"

Steven Yearley, director of 바카라사이트 Genomics Forum and one of 바카라사이트 judges, said he hoped 바카라사이트 contest would emulate 바카라사이트 success of a short story competition held last year.

He explained that entries in 2009 varied from 바카라사이트 serious to 바카라사이트 playful: "They all picked up on 바카라사이트 many social dimensions of what it is to have knowledge of your genomic identity or destiny, what it means to wrestle with yourself in an age where we know so many things we didn't know before."

The competition builds on 바카라사이트 Genomics Forum's aim to reflect 바카라사이트 social aspect of genomics as well as 바카라사이트 technical.

Professor Yearley said that 바카라사이트 field had great scope to inspire poetry: "People might be inspired by 바카라사이트 shape of 바카라사이트 genome itself, or from 바카라사이트 way genes are named, or maybe something more abstract like genomes and destiny."

He said last year's winning short story had been "a very good reflection on 바카라사이트 burden of genetic knowledge and 바카라사이트 existential dilemmas it creates for people".

The best poems would be published, but not as a book, said Professor Yearley: "It could be a fold-up thing or perhaps something a bit more funky, such as a Rubik's Cube."

He added that he would not be entering an effort of his own: "I gave up poetry before my GCSEs. That was when I realised that my poetry really sucked," he said.

Details of 바카라사이트 competition can be found at:

sarah.cunnane@tsleducation.com.