Technology that was once only seen in dystopian science fiction is rapidly infecting real life. Two means of collecting personal data – DNA databases and facial recognition software – are forming an unholy alliance, and the privacy implications could be devastating. Privacy concerns surrounding DNA and facial recognition aren’t anything new. As the popularity of […]
FamilyTreeDNA Hands the FBI Access to Its Database…
There are plenty of reasons to be wary of at-home DNA testing, particularly if you’re concerned about genetic privacy. That’s especially true now that it’s come to light that FamilyTreeDNA, one of the largest private genetic testing companies, is cooperating with the FBI to give its agents access to its genealogy database. The partnership, first […]
23andMe’s Pharma Deals Have Been the Plan All Along…
Since the launch of its DNA testing service in 2007, genomics giant 23andMe has convinced more than 5 million people to fill a plastic tube with half a teaspoon of saliva. In return for all that spit (and some cash too), customers get insights into their biological inheritance, from the superficial—do you have dry earwax […]
China Scientist Creates ‘Genetically Edited’ Babies…
A scientist in China claims to have created the world’s first genetically edited babies, in a potentially ground-breaking and controversial medical first. If true, it would be a profound leap of science and ethics. This kind of gene editing is banned in most countries as the technology is still experimental and DNA changes can pass […]
A Controversial Virus Study Reveals a Critical Flaw in How Science Is Done…
Last year, the world learned that researchers led by David Evans from the University of Alberta had resurrected a virus called horsepox. The virus hasn’t been seen in nature for decades, but Evans’s team assembled it using genetic material that they ordered from a company that synthesizes DNA. The work caused a huge stir. Horsepox […]
Need a Little Extra Money? You’ll Soon Be Able to Sell and Rent Your DNA…
Feel like earning a little extra money and maybe improving your health at the same time? Consumers will soon be able to sell or rent their DNA to scientists who are trying to fight diseases as different as dementia, lupus and leukemia. Bio-brokers want to collect everything from someone’s 23andMe and Ancestry.com gene data to […]
DNA for Sale…
Took an Ancestry DNA Test? You Might Be a ‘Genetic Informant’ Unleashing Secrets About Your Relatives…
You just wanted to find out if you were Portuguese or Spanish, but instead you found out you were related to a mass murderer. This is a reality in a world where the alledged Golden State Killer, now known as Joseph James DeAngelo, was arrested after DNA found at one of the killer’s crime scenes […]
U.S. Researchers Eliminates HIV Infection in ‘Humanized’ Mice…
U.S. researchers said Monday they have successfully removed HIV DNA from the genomes of living animals using a gene-editing tool, giving scientists a boost in confidence to eventually eliminate the AIDS virus infection in human patients. In a new study published in the journal Molecular Therapy, researchers at Temple University and the University of Pittsburgh […]
The Genetic Advantage of the (Other) 1 Percenters…
Evidence showing that those who succeed are made not born, it suggests the upper tiers of society are stuffed with achievers who were born then made…