TLDR
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Craig Venter, the outsider who raced the public consortium to decode the human genome, died April 29th, aged 79.
Key Takeaways
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Venter drove a parallel private effort on the Human Genome Project, forcing a competitive race against the publicly funded consortium.
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The Economist frames him as never fully accepted by the scientific establishment despite his central role in genomics history.
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Compared to Crick and Watson in ambition and self-regard, but described as feeling his contributions were chronically underrecognized.
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His outsider status may have fueled the aggressive, fast-moving approach that defined his sequencing strategy.
Hacker News Comment Review
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