What next in the -OMICS era?

Exomics – study of exons
   ORFeomics – study of ORFs
          Kinomics – study of kinases
              Bibliomics – study of bibliographies
                      Interactomics – study of all interactions
                              Speechomics – study of language acquisition

Until a few minutes back, I didn’t know these terms ever existed!!

Intrigued about what Ionomics was all about, I began to search for some background information on Wikipedia; only to end up thinking about what could be next in line: in the era of –omics?

Well, it could be anything…. starting from A to Z; not that it should in any way be related to biology (as in Bibliomics or Speechomics). Btw, how many of you out there heard about “The Human Speechome Project” ?
Strange, yet happening.

I am just expressing my utter disbelief on the pace at which the biological glossary is building up, and how far behind I am. It maybe a better way of understanding life; in its most finest details – or investigating an organism from varied perspectives (first you study its phenotype (Phenomics), then you go on to its structural composition (Lipidomics, Proteomics and Glycomics), then look into its metabolic processes (Physiomics), zoom into their individual compounds (Metabolomics), mineral ions (Ionomics), enzymes, their interactions (Interactomics), their regulation (Regulomics), then into their nucleic acids (Genomics) and its several off-shoots……. and finally end up with……. Whoknowswatomics!! Maybe this is what is called as Systems Biology: the different levels of an organism.
These hi-fi terms have been coming out of research laboratories throughout the world, with such great momentum, that within a few years we might even be shopping for an “Oxford Dictionary of OMICS”.

On a creative note, here are some of the MOST eligible candidates for the next in line:

Phosphotomics – study of protein phosphatases
Dissertomics – study of dissertations
Linkomics – study of gene linkages
Intromics – study of introns

I should not be doing this right now. Because on second thought, it may seem like I am mocking the scientific fraternity of which I am also a minuscule part. But the non-scientific side of my being urges me to go on… So, if somebody really does start to work on phosphotomics or linkomics, it must duly be credited back to their founder (ME) , I suppose! When kinases and bibliographies can have their own territory, why not phosphatases and dissertations?!!

Finally, as to whether the primary purpose of my search was solved?
The study of the ionome, called ionomics, is defined as the;

Quantitative and simultaneous measurement of the elemental composition of living organisms, and changes in this composition in response to physiological stimuli, developmental state and genetic modifications.
                                (Now, I really need to get some sleep!!)

Care to find more –omic terms?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_omics_topics_in_biology
http://www.media.mit.edu/cogmac/projects/hsp.html