Advanced Computing in the Age of AI | Friday, March 29, 2024

GeneDuped 

<img style="float: left;" src="http://media2.hpcwire.com/dmr/3D_Pig_copy.jpg" alt="" width="84" height="65" />Now that we're into the month of May let's take a last look at some doings in April in which the usually reserved <em>The Economist</em> journal pulled off a neat April's fool joke with the help of 3D printing.

Now that we've made it into May, let's take one last look back at April, which can be the cruelest month.  For example, the esteemed journal, The Economist, pulled an impressive April Fools’ joke on their readers.  Their much read Science and Technology section included an article suggesting that, like many objects that are digitally printed today, we will be able to design and build household animals to order.  They went as far as to name a company already forging the path to this ultimate shopping experience, Gene Duplication Corporation in San Melito. 

Written as a typical, thoughtful, scientific Economist article , we should have known something was awry when later in the article they shortened the company name to just “GeneDupe”, but we were the ones being duped.

Apparently not everyone understands digital manufacturing or even the realms of science very well. Or perhaps we all put more faith than we realize in science. Or maybe editors need to pay more attention. 

METRO, a London free paper, published an article about 3-D printing on April 20th.  It talks about this new technology and its many applications for the home and promises of impressive uses of 3D printing in future applications. The print version of the paper includes this line:

"The technology is even being used in the genetic engineering of animals, with one company offering to create bespoke pets." 

I guess it takes some people longer than others to realize you can’t believe everything you read on April 1st. They certainly took The Economist’s joke seriously! The line has since disappeared from the online version of the paper, but the print version remains proof that they were officially “Gene” Duped. 

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