WE USED TO HAVE 23 skidoo; now, we have 23andMe. According to Susan Young at MIT's Technology Review, "Personal Genetics Company Seeks Regulatory Approval",
23andMe, in which Google has invested $6.5 million, offers a genome analysis test directly to consumers, who can use the product to explore their genetic risk for everything from curly hair to Alzheimer's disease. Although the company isn't disclosing which particular tests it is seeking regulatory approval for, Ashley Gould, vice president for corporate development and chief legal officer, says the tests are medically relevant and examine genetic variants with disease connections that are well supported by scientific research. The company is already working on a second submission, and plans to eventually seek approval for some 100 of its 240 tests.
240 tests. One of 'em's for Neanderthal percentage, even. And genetic science is still in its infancy. We could have this be of incredible benefit, or we could wind up with Gattaca — or much, much worse, like the "Genetic Slavery" that exists in David Weber's "Honorverse", some 3,000 years from now. The future sure looks like interesting times, don't it?
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