Powers on the Genome : The Frontal Cortex

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Jonah Lehrer is a contributing editor at Wired. He's also written for The New Yorker, Seed, Nature, and the New York Times and is a contributor to Radiolab. He's the author of Proust Was A Neuroscientist. His new book is How We Decide.

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Powers on the Genome

Posted on: October 21, 2008 10:40 AM, by Jonah Lehrer

Richard Powers, one of my favorite novelists, just got his entire genome sequenced and wrote about the results for GQ:

I come from a long line of folks, on my mother's side, with congenital difficulty making choices. My father's family, on the other hand, are born snap deciders. This time the paternal genes won out, and half an hour after reading the invitation, I was on board.
So I went shopping. A day online gave me my first taste of the bewildering range of consumer genetic products. There was Family Tree DNA, specializing in tracing genetic genealogies. There was DNA Direct, whose Web site asked, "Do you have a chronic, undiagnosed condition? It could be genetic." For $260, I could get tested for cystic fibrosis; for $370, I could learn whether I'm at elevated risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Then there was Iceland-based deCODEme ("This is myCODE"), which could calculate my risks for twenty-five genetic maladies in one $985 package.

But why stop with just a few disease tests? As I always say, in for a few plot complications, in for the whole story.

Read the whole thing. And then read the Gold Bug Variations.

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Comments (9)

Powers is one of my favorite modern novelists. The Gold Bug Variations might be his best novel, but I also recommend Galatea 2.2, a great riff on the concept of computer AI.

Posted by: Larry Ayers | October 21, 2008 11:15 AM

Agreed with Larry. If you're reading this, world: The Gold Bug Variations is wonderful. I'd probably go with Galatea 2.2 as my second-favorite as well.

Posted by: whetstone | October 21, 2008 1:13 PM

That's for the recommendations. I've read the Echomaker (great first 2/3 and okay last 1/3) and have Galatea 2.2 to read next. I will add Gold Bug Variations to my list.

Posted by: Shaun Sperl | October 21, 2008 9:51 PM

Anyone know if your DNA changes as you age?

Posted by: jb | October 22, 2008 12:30 AM

"Anyone know if your DNA changes as you age?"

Yep. It gets older!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telomere

Posted by: Ian | October 22, 2008 8:13 AM

Ok. Thanks, Ian. Another question: does the DNA that you pass on as a parent change with time? In other words, would a child you fathered early in life receive the same DNA from you as a child that you fathered when you were 50 years older say? As I recall, fraternal twins don't get exactly the same DNA, so if the DNA is different, does the difference reflect events in your life that happened in between the two conceptions: exposure to disease, perhaps or hazardous chemicals?

Posted by: jb | October 22, 2008 2:02 PM

thanks

Posted by: catlak | October 22, 2008 5:05 PM

Powers, like David Foster Wallace, is a writer ahead of his time. Thanks for the info.

Posted by: David | October 22, 2008 7:32 PM

I would agree that Goldbug is, indeed, his masterpiece. Love story, mystery, and beautiful writing about present and past, science and music - an irresistible package. I think I'd place Echo Maker at #2.

Posted by: ted | October 23, 2008 9:29 AM