bad genetic testing
dgmacarthur | November 19, 2009Pharyngula, via a reader, points me to the most aggressively bad attempt at a genetic testing product I have ever encountered, coupled with a truly horrific attitude to parenting.
The tag line alone is hilariously inept:
"Our Technology Spawned from Human Genome Project led by US Scientists. The Industry is Featured by CNN, CBS News"
The idea that is being spruiked here is that genetic testing can help you determine your child's "inborn talents", which you can then use to ruthlessly jam them into whatever career the test results suggest.
The presenter notes that he "wasted a lot of time…
dgmacarthur | August 27, 2009Peter Aldhous has a great piece of detective work in New Scientist, which has revealed a bizarre and sporadic glitch in the online software provided by personal genomics company deCODEme to allow customers to view their genetic data.
The glitch appears to be restricted to the display of data from the mitochondrial genome (a piece of DNA with a special fascination for genetic genealogists, since it is inherited almost exclusively along the maternal line). On several separate occasions the deCODEme browser presented Aldhous with a mitochondrial profile that was spectacularly wrong, differing…
dgmacarthur | June 10, 2009From Emily Singer's article yesterday in Technology Review:
A number of companies offering direct-to-consumer genetic testing have
cropped up in the past two years to capitalize on these advances, from 23andMe and Navigenics, which offer genome-wide scans to identify specific disease-linked genetic variations, to Knome,
which offers whole-genome sequencing to the wealthy. Any doubts that
personal genomics is making its way into the mainstream can be assuaged
with a look at Interleukin genetics, a startup that sells genetic tests
for heart-disease risk, B vitamin metabolism, and other factors…
dgmacarthur | January 22, 2009New Scientist has an investigation into companies offering surreptitious genetic testing - basically, providing analysis of DNA samples obtained without permission from others. Currently popular uses are searching for evidence of non-paternity or infidelity (by testing underwear for strange DNA), but obviously the potential exists to also look for markers of potential disease risk, a la Gattaca - an attractive prospect for employers, insurers, or those hunting for the flaw-free spouse.
Human nature being what it is, there's little doubt that a considerable market for non-consensual genetic…