The European Patent Office is learning from past mistakes and testing its new
biotech software on volunteers before releasing it. The EPO and US Patent and
Trademark Office require any application containing a sequence of more than ten
nucleotides or four amino acids to be accompanied by a floppy disc containing
the sequence. The EPO wrote its own software for describing sequences, called
Patentin, but drug company Zeneca discovered a glitch in it. The EPO fixed the
bug and went on to develop a Windows version. Trial users are now being asked to
report any bugs.
More from New Scientist
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Mathematics
Why winner of biggest prize in maths has decided to work on AI instead
News
Mathematics
OpenAI announces solutions to 10 longstanding maths problems
News
Technology
Will a new kind of AI that understands physical reality change the world again?
Features
Environment
Why sitting under a parasol is barely cooler than being in the sun
News
Popular articles
Trending New Scientist articles