Genome sequencing vs Malaysia petrol price
According to this report, the cost of sequencing all of the DNA that makes up the human blueprint has dropped from $3 billion (the US government-funded human genome project) to $300 million ran by Celera Group, the biotech that raced the US government to be first to sequence the human genetic code.
Just today, 454 Life Sciences, a unit of drug giant Roche Applied Science, announced that it has sequenced all the genetic material of James Watson, who co-discovered the structure of DNA 60 years ago, for less than $1 million. A rival biotech, Solexa under Illumina , says its new machine could probably do the same job for $100,000. Two other biotechs, Applied Biosystems and Helicos, are planning to roll out their own machines.
My two cents:
The sequencing cost per genome is dropped dramatically over 15 years.
USD$3billion -> $300million -> $1million ->$100k
But look at our Malaysian Petrol Price over 16 years since 1990
Before 90 - RM 0.89
Year 1990 - RM 1.10 (increased RM 0.21)
01/10/2000 - RM 1.20 (increased RM 0.10)
20/10/2001 - RM 1.30 (increased RM 0.10)
01/05/2002 - RM 1.32 (increased RM 0.02)
31/10/2002 - RM 1.33 (increased RM 0.01)
01/03/2003 - RM 1.35 (increased RM 0.02)
01/05/2004 - RM 1.37 (increased RM 0.02)
01/10/2004 - RM 1.42 (increased RM 0.05)
05/05/2005 - RM 1.52 (increased RM 0.10)
31/07/2005 - RM 1.62 (increased RM 0.10)
28/02/2006 - RM 1.92 (increased RM 0.30) = 0.56USD <- current price
??/??/08- RM 2.XX (increased RM X.XX)
For your reference, a middle rat-race salary sucker in Malaysia is about RM2200-3300.
One word, 2008 is a Shitty year for us again!!! 
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January 3rd, 2008 at 6:33 pm
[...] industry is so advancing and more & more economical everyday. Previously we had news for Sequencing the whole genome at lower then USD 100,000, but now look at this bulletin from The Scientist: pay per clickWhile giving a tour of Helicos [...]