Yesterday I was reading an article (Clicky) in the New York Times about a new genetic service that is being offered in America. There is a company called 23andMe that will analyse your DNA via a saliva sample and then use this information to genotype your chromosomes and determine your SNPs (Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms).
For the laymen out there (sorry if I sound pretentious, but I work in the molecular biology field), it’s basically a service where you can google search your genes and figure out which mutations you have and what those effects may be on you. An example of this is that there may be a certain mutation in a gene that is linked to taste. People with this mutation may therefore enjoy a certain food more than those without it (for me its definitely sugar). Other genetic predispositions that can be screened for include weight, IQ and health.
An odds calculator can also use your genetic information to determine which medical conditions you may be likely to face in the future and which ones you may pass onto your children. Another feature of this service include the global similarity map which determines how genetically similar you are to people around the world. It can even give you information about how you may related to people in areas such as history, favorite foods, music, languages, and even pets.
Possibilities similar to 23andme’s services are seen in the sci-fi movie Gattaca and it’s genetic application’s like this that originally got me excited about science in the first place. Anyway the article’s very well written and is easy to understand so give it a read. Unfortunately it’s only available in the States at the moment but it’s probably only a matter of time before you can order a saliva kit (mmm tasty) and use this service over here.
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