1. cortex
  2. Powers on the Genome

Powers on the Genome

By cortex on October 21, 2008.

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.

Tags
Uncategorized

More like this

All Dad
These biologists are holding out on me. I've been writing about biology for quite some time now, and sometimes I think I've got a pretty good sense of the scope of life. Neurosurgeon wasps--got it. Eels with alien jaws--check. And then I stumble across something new, or should I say, new to me.…
Infidelity among British women far lower than previously thought?
ScienceDaily highlights an angle on the paper I blogged a few days ago, Chromosome And Surname Study Challenges Infidelity 'Myth': "People often quote a figure of one in ten for the number of people born illegitimately," says Professor Jobling. "Our study shows that this is likely to be an…
Cheap as chips: 23andMe slashes the price of personal genomics
23andMe is one of three companies currently providing chip-based personal genomics assays, which provide information about up to a million sites of common variation throughout the human genome. These companies provide insight into a limited but informative slice of your genetic diversity, as I…
The problem with family trees
My least favorite story-that's-occupying-too-much-media-attention this week is the Al Sharpton-Strom Thurmond family-ties affair. As a former newspaper editor, I know all too well why the story of the uncovering of the connection between a prominent African-American civil-rights leader and famous…

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.

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.

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.

By Shaun Sperl (not verified) on 21 Oct 2008 #permalink

Anyone know if your DNA changes as you age?

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?

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.