He vows to have a machine by 2012 that will decode in two hours all 20, 000 human genes that code for proteins. (This is roughly 3% of all DNA and will still be far behind Illumina, which can do all the DNA twice.) Eventually, he hopes to create a machine the size of an iPad.

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That should unleash some healthy competition: Within a few years it may not be uncommon to buy a set-top digital box that can not only decode cable transmissions, but is also a web browser, a game machine and a DVD player.

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