A few months ago, out of idle curiosity, I filled a tube with saliva and sent it off to Ancestry.com. It wasn’t the best decision I’ve made in my life, but fortunately, I don’t have a whole life to regret it.
At the time, it looked like a bargain. Over the past couple of decades, the price has dropped about $1000 to less than $100 today. No wonder, then, that consumer DNA testing has skyrocketed and is now an $8 billion industry. It’s promoted as an easy and fun way to find relatives or uncover ethnic origins. Discovering you are, for example, 20% Italian is a fun fact to share with friends on Facebook or over drinks.
But this is only scraping the surface of the technology. DNA therapies open the door for personalised medical measures to both prevent and cure disease. DNA analysis has the potential to give us real insight into our traits and behaviours. The pious entreaties of philosophers down the ages “to know thyself” takes on new meaning. But we’re not there yet. And where we are now can sometimes be scary and threatening.
Most people would be reluctant to shed their clothes in public, but nudity is nothing compared to how they expose themselves by handing over their DNA. Personal privacy is ripped to shreds and family secrets laid bare. Sperm donor conceptions, infidelities, adoptions and even crimes can no longer be covered up. DNA testing means it’s no longer possible to bury the past. That drunken one-night stand, workplace romance or holiday fling decades ago could turn out to be unfinished business that involves a back demand for child support. It takes only one relative to upload DNA to a genealogy site to make it possible to trace an individual.
Denne historien er fra April 29- May 05, 2023-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
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Denne historien er fra April 29- May 05, 2023-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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First-world problem
Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.
Applying intelligence to AI
I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.
Nazism rears its head
Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.
Staying ahead of the game
Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?
Grasping the nettle
Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.
Hangry? Eat breakfast
People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.
Chemical reaction
Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.
Me and my guitar
Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.
Time is on my side
Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?
The kids are not alright
Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.
