An update to the 23andMe ancestry algorithm, how populations are constructed
The genomics testing company 23andMe has come out with a new algorithm for ancestry assignment from their SNP panel. They describe the new procedure in a blo...
All posts tagged with testing
Looking at layoffs from consumer genomics firms
CNBC has an article by Christina Farr looking at the recent layoffs at consumer genomics firms 23andMe and Ancestry.com: “Consumer DNA testing is a bust: Her...
Link: So easy to match DNA to names
Forensic genealogy is now mainstream. From Bloomberg Businessweek, a report by Kristen Brown: “A Researcher Needed Three Hours to Identify Me From My DNA”.
Family Tree DNA database now available to FBI investigators
Salvador Hernandez reports for Buzzfeed that Family Tree DNA has now opened its database of genetic information from more than a million users to the FBI: “O...
DNA genealogy and forensic cold cases
This year there have been some amazing new leads in “cold cases” by using a new kind of DNA approach, using public genealogy websites to look for people who ...
Link: DNA conspiracy theories
In a post this week on the Anthropology News site of the American Anthropological Association, the sociologist Joan Donovan describes her work on DNA identit...
When genomic ancestry tests lead to confusion
An article in Gizmodo by Kristen Brown asks an uncomfortable question about today’s proliferating genomic ancestry industry: “How DNA Testing Botched My Fami...
Link: DNA conspiracy theories
In a post this week on the Anthropology News site of the American Anthropological Association, the sociologist Joan Donovan describes her work on DNA identit...
Link: Privacy and sharing genomic data for research
Good article in Undark about privacy and genome sequencing in the era of data sharing, by Adam Tanner: “The Promise and Perils of Sharing Your DNA”.
Havasupai DNA consent case becomes a one-act play
The Scientist has a review of a one-act play, “Informed Consent”, by playwright Deborah Zoe Laufer: Review: Sacred Stories, Genetic Privacy Collide.
Nearly 20 years after Kennewick, a look at DNA and tribes
Rose Eveleth has a long story in The Atlantic about the landscape of DNA ancestry for American Indians: “Genetic Testing and Tribal Identity”. This is not a...
Sequencing baby Khan
MIT Technology Review has an article this week about Razib Khan’s efforts to sequence his baby son in utero: “For One Baby, Life Begins with Genome Revealed”.
A tale of legal threats in genetic astrology
David Balding and Mark Thomas, two professors at University College London, have been the objects of a series of legal threats from the company BritainsDNA. ...
The DNA portrait artist
Twitter gets results! A group of geneticists (honestly, including me) were kvetching on Twitter about this NPR story: “Litterbugs Beware: Turning Found DNA I...
The problem of Lance retraction
Retraction Watch comments on a provocative case: Should a scientific paper that measured Lance Armstrong’s exercise physiology during his Tour de France days...
"I am so happy that my genome didnt come back all normal"
Ed Yong has followed the touching story of the Grossman family, whose daughter Lilly has suffered throughout her life from a serious and unknown disorder: “W...
"Ancestry is complicated and very messy"
Mark Thomas has a Guardian piece reacting to some recent genetics promotion in the UK: “To claim someone has ‘Viking ancestors’ is no better than astrology”....
Privacy of genetic research participants
Misha Angrist, writing in Nature News comments (“Genetic privacy needs a more nuanced approach”) on the recent study that demonstrated the possibility of fin...
"No more complicated than setting up an Orange Julius franchise"
That quote is from Misha Angrist, about the coming genetic interpretation industry. It’s part of an essay by Virginia Hughes, in Slate: “Its Time To Stop Obs...
Geno2 users showing unexpected Denisovan ancestry
I have been excited to hear in the last few days from several readers who have gotten results from the new Genographic Geno2 genotyping chip. One aspect of t...
A problem with communicating human genetic history
Vincent Plagnol in Genomes Unzipped last month wrote about a bad example of public communication of population genetics and DNA ancestry testing: “Exaggerati...
Metaphyseal fusion
Holly Dunsworth, whom readers will remember from my previous links to her work in genetics education, recounts a personal experience to show how the “inciden...
High coverage second thoughts
Vicki Lewis writes a worthwhile post: <a href=http://blogs.plos.org/dnascience/2012/11/01/why-i-dont-want-to-know-my-genome-sequence/”>”Why I Dont Want...
Lying to patients about genetic tests is wrong
Bonnie Rochman, in the Health and Family section of Time, picks up the story of the ethics of reporting incidental genetic results to patients: “What Your Do...
The cost of sequencing
In all the stories about the lowering cost of DNA sequencing, this NY Times contribution has to be the most heartbreaking: “Infant DNA Tests Speed Diagnosis ...
Fearfully genetic
Holly Dunsworth comments on an NPR report on personal genomics: “Be afraid of fear, not personal genomics”.
Grasping the genomic palantir
Gina Kolata writes in the New York Times about the conundrum faced by research scientists who inadvertently discover the health risks of their research parti...
Do we need an offshore data haven for genomes?
Razib Khan comments on 23andMe’s pursuit of FDA clearance for their genome service:
Alzheimer's long read
The New York Times has a powerful story about the genetics of early onset Alzheimer’s disease, by Gina Kolata: “An Alzheimer’s gene: one family’s saga”.
Sex, steroids and sport
The Guardian is giving us some pre-London-Olympic buildup, including an interesting article about the impact of strategies to make female athletes more like ...
Gene doping mice
Andy Coghlan reports on work using viral vectors to amp up mouse muscles, a form of “gene doping”, in New Scientist: “Blood tests won’t stop gene cheats”.
Finding the scary genes
John Lauerman reports in BusinessWeek on his experience participating in the Personal Genome Project:
Ancestry perspective from 23andMe
Stanford geneticist Joanna Mountain recounts some of the experience she brings to 23andMe in her role as Senior Director of Research: “Solving mysteries via ...
Genotyping the intro class
Holly Dunsworth, at the University of Rhode Island, is undertaking a unique project with her undergraduate course this semester, providing 23andMe genotyping...
Genetics and privacy
“Harvard prof Henry Louis Gates Jr. hunting for great-great grandfather”
Exome sequencing into Norway national health care
From Ewen Callaway: “Norway is set to become the first country to incorporate genome sequencing into its national health-care system.”
The Mayflower criminal registry
Of some interest with respect to DNA databases and privacy concerns: “DNA links 1991 killing to Colonial-era family”.
Over coffee
G: Guess what Daddy and I learned last night? I'm more Neandertal than he is!
A quick look at your Neandertal fraction
The 23andMe blog, the Spittoon, has a description of their new technique to use 23andMe SNPs to estimate any customer’s fraction of Neandertal: “Find your in...
Anodyne DTC genetics
The Wall Street Journal has an op-ed by Matt Ridley, on the topic of possible regulation of consumer genetic testing. He writes that after years of relative ...
Delete the troubling data
Misha Angrist turns on the sarcasm filter for a proposal to discard raw data that may trouble research subjects (“If you want to destroy my sweater”):
Brain scans and gene scans
Wray Herbert notes the fallacy of interpreting fMRI and other brain imagery as especially meaningful: “The Brain Is Not an Explanation”. I’m pointing to this...
Genetics without the disclaimers
The NY Times covers a new genome-wide association study of SNP variants and response to exercise (“Is Fitness All in the Genes?”).
I'm a genetic libertarian
Much news coming out of the FDA public meeting on direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetics. Dan Vorhaus was at the proceedings and reports on them (“Looking Ahead A...
FDA-DTC genetics meeting
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has been holding a meeting about Direct-to-Consumer genetic testing. Daniel MacArthur has been following the proceeding...
DNA relatives
Steve Mount works through the math of “relative finder” predictions from 23andMe (and by extension, other personal genome tests): “Genetic genealogy and the ...
Data minding
Dan MacArthur reads the American Medical Association’s letter to the FDA about direct-to-consumer genetics testing, and doesn’t like what he sees (“American ...
Finding hidden incest
Another unexpected result of gene chips: Identifying hidden incest in the course of routine tests for developmental disabilities:
Paying for personalized medicine
Virginia Hughes writes about the challenges on the business side of personalized medicine: “Genomics Revolution(s)”. She builds the topic up from a few peopl...
No worries, DNA testers
I’ve started teaching my course in anthropological genetics again this semester. I’ll be posting relevant material here every so often, particularly as we co...
Sports and genetics
Sports Are 80 Percent Mental has an interview with Peter Vint of the U.S. Olympic Committee: “Do Young Athletes Need Practice Or Genetics? A Conversation Wit...
Open data genomics
Nature this week carries a story by Ewen Callaway titled, “The rise of the genome bloggers”. The main subject is Dienekes Pontikos, whose “Dodecad Ancestry P...
Genomes unzipped, ancestry revealed
Last week I linked to Genomes Unzipped participant Joe Pickrell (“Ancestry unzipped”), who was working through the ancestry calculations that made his genome...
Ancestry unzipped
One of the incredible benefits of the open source approach to genomics is that non-practitioners have a chance to see how interpretations are built. Sometime...
Genomes unzipped, unzipped
Genomes Unzipped, has finally unzipped:
Cousin marriage in the UK and genetic testing
The Guardian is running an essay by two British GP’s about the consequences of cousin marriage in the UK: “Cousin marriages: a question of understanding”.
Heritability and genetic test essay
Neuroscientist Dorothy Bishop provides a student-level opinion piece in the Guardian that addresses the “missing heritability” problem without using the term...
California quashes student gene testing at UC-Berkeley
LA Times: “UC Berkeley adjusts freshman orientation’s gene-testing program.”
Personal genomics debacle?
Daniel MacArthur is reporting on today’s big showdown between Congress and genomics testing companies: “A sad day for personal genomics.”
Berkeley DNA comments
Marie-Claire Shanahan has written on A Blog Around the Clock an essay discussing the Berkeley genetic test:
Good grief, the Neandertal test kits have been sent
Blaine Bettinger (the Genetic Genealogist) writes that some commercial test offerings are trying to sort out a way to tell you how Neandertal you are:
Berkeley DNA tests revisited
I wrote about the UC Berkeley genetic testing of incoming freshmen earlier this spring. The summer is halfway over and the saliva kits have been sent. Now Sc...
Impacts of gene mix-ups
Daniel MacArthur: “Sample swaps at 23andMe: a cautionary tale”.
DNA arrest database
In yesterday’s DNA news, the U.S. House of Representatives wants to pay for an expansion of federal DNA databases to include all arrestees:
Congress, FDA cracking down on direct-to-consumer genomics
It’s been a busy week for DNA news. In the DNA arrest database example, Congress seems to have no problem with more testing. In the case of personal genomics...
UC-Berkeley genetic tests for freshmen
I’m not sure which tags to apply to this story. I’m torn between “colossally-bad-ideas” and “university-auditions-for-big-brother”.
Over-the-counter genomics
So now you’ll be able to buy a genetic test at your local drugstore:
GET smart
Carl Zimmer describes his experience as a master of ceremonies (with Robert Krulwich) at the Genomes, Envrionments, Traits conference (“A day among the genom...
Whole genome action
Daniel MacArthur writes a thoughtful summary of a new study of the DNA of Stephen Quake: “What can you learn from a whole genome sequence?”
Havasupai DNA case links
Amy Harmon returned to the NY Times last weekend with a story about the court settlement between Arizona State University and the Havasupai tribe (“Indian tr...
Gene patents at risk
A Federal court has thrown out Myriad Genetics’ patents on tests for BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations, risk factors in breast and ovarian cancer:
NIH genetic test registry
The National Institutes of Health directorate this week announced the creation of a new database for tracking and providing public information about commerci...
This weeks' genomes
Actress Glenn Close joins the ranks of the genomed; Daniel MacArthur discusses the celebrity genomics trend.
African-American mtDNA and regional populations of Africa
I’m attending a symposium on genetics and genealogy of the African Diaspora this morning. Fatimah Jackson is here giving a very interesting talk about her ge...
23andMe
From Razib: “Creative destruction in the personal genomics industry?”
Texas newborn DNA experimentation
A couple of weeks ago, the Texas Tribune reported on an investigation of the archiving of blood samples taken from newborn infants: “DNA Deception”.
Gene-a-dope
Science gives us a “policy forum” this week on gene doping. The lead author, Theodor Friedmann, is the chair of the “Gene Doping Expert Group” at the World A...
Genetic testing brief
Data point:
The Church of personal genomics
I complained mightily about the problems I had getting George Church’s essay (“The Genome Generation”). Church is the major organizer of the Personal Genome ...
Chemistry of attraction
Matchmaking services go genetic:
Bad genes
Well, if your genes don’t make you a bad driver, maybe they’ll make you a murderer: “Lighter sentence for murderer with ‘bad genes’”
Driving genes
Oh, oh…
Common traits and GWA
Worth reading: Daniel MacArthur comments on 23andMe’s reporting of genome-wide associations coming from their customer surveys of traits. The skinny:
Is your genome worth guarding?
Katrina Voss wrote in New Scientist a couple of weeks ago: “Your genome isn’t that precious – give it away”. After discussing legislative efforts to provide ...
Caster Semenya
Is there such a thing as “failing” a gender test?
23andMe co-founder Linda Avey leaves
A piece of corporate genomics news:
Sports testing metaphors of questionable taste
From the New York Times story about Caster Semenya, “Gender Test After a Gold-Medal Finish”:
"The Human Family Tree"
We flipped the TV to the National Geographic Channel last night to watch “The Human Family Tree” special. I like the premise of testing the relations of peop...
Mailbag: Race, words and definitions
I believe this problem with the word "race" which biologists have needs to be handled as a communication problem. The way that biologists use the term is, li...
Modern genomics and race
Another little thing from that Anne Wojcicki interview that I linked last week – she fielded a question about race:
Free credit reports and consumer genetics
The Freakonomics blog has a long question-and-answer with Anne Wojcicki, of 23andMe. It’s interesting to see how she takes reader questions – many of the an...
Medical records, research, and personalized genomics
I’m reading through Chris Anderson’s Free, and ran across a sidebar on page 104, titled, “How can healthcare software be free?”. The answer is by selling dat...
IRB DTC RFI
The Genomics Law Report is an interesting newish blog from the law firm of Robinson, Bradshaw and Hinson. Dan MacArthur pointed me there.
Genetic testing by Amway
Daniel MacArthur has been indispensable lately – if you are interested in consumer genetics, check out his post on Amway’s “Heart Health” genetic tests. The ...
Turning ACGT into poetry
The Economist has a “special report” on personalized medicine, focusing on the business of the current set of sequence providers. Generally speaking, Dan Mac...
How many genotypes does it take to nab you?
I was reading this story about “genetic surveillance” by law enforcement. I’ll blog about it later.
Sending a cheek swab?
A reader wrote me today:
Steve Pinker's Hot Hot Legs profiled in NY Times Magazine
Honestly, that was my first reaction to an article that includes relatively neutral grey-background shots of Pinker from several angles. Way to go, dude!
A gene doping summit
The AP’s Howard Fendrich reports on an American Enterprise Institute conference about gene doping:
Privacy, politicians, and genetic testing
Ronald Bailey opines about coming pressures for politicians to release their genetic test results:
Good only for entertainment value… and, of course, the government
Genetic Future points out the minuses of a commercial gene test offering, which promises to tell parents whether their kids have alpha-actinin-3 gene combina...
Population genomics rising
Genetic Future has been on fire lately, with various announcements from and about genomics testing companies. More on that later. Today, he reflects upon the...
Magic indistinguishable from genomics
ThinkGene has a nice critical post reviewing some of deCODE Genetics’ advertising. The main idea is that genetic tests as yet provide almost no information w...
Genetic GPS in Popular Science
Popular Science has a short article covering recent research into European population structure:
Bobsleds, no; sprinting, yes
If you’re interested in athletic performance and genetics, read Daniel Macarthur on ACTN3, sprinting, and Jamaica:
How much data in your genome
Daniel Macarthur, of Genetic Future, reviews the amount of information required to store genomic information. Naturally, you’d probably think it was around 1...
The road to prophylaxis
Jane Brody writes about hereditary cancers, and genetic testing. It's sort of a self-education kind of piece. The theme is the extreme: radical surgeries th...
"Blood Matters" review
The NY Times is running a review by Jennifer Senior of the new book, Blood Matters, by Masha Gessen. The book details Gessen's journey through modern-day ge...
"I'd rather spend my money on my genome than a Bentley"
Amy Harmon profiles Dan Stoicescu, a Swiss-living millionaire who has become the first paying customer of the genome-sequencing company, Knome.
DNA testing and health insurance
Amy Harmon brings several patients' stories to this article, "Fear of insurance trouble leads many to shun or hide DNA tests."
Hunting for your child's DNA doppelganger
Maybe you believe you have an identical twin somewhere. Or if not a twin, at least someone who looks a lot like you, a doppelganger. Someone who looks like ...
Human genetic diversity named top breakthrough
This week's Science includes an article by Elizabeth Pennisi naming "Human Genetic Variation" as the science breakthrough of the year.
Public genomics, privacy, and James Watson
Another thing I didn’t expect to see today: DeCode Genetics went looking through James Watson’s genome sequence for evidence of African ancestry:
Wherein the New York Times says Hawks was right
Nearly two years ago now I wrote a column for Slate arguing that DNA genealogy tests were misleading people. Here's what I wrote:
DNA tests split immigrant families
I missed this story about immigration and DNA testing when it was printed earlier this year. The story looks at some personal stories of immigrants who have...
Full frontal genomes
In Erika Check's Nature article on celebrity genomes, she includes a passage in which Francis Collins points out a problem with public access to private ge...
It's nada until they have Larry King
Back in May, Nature ran an article (non-free) titled, "Celebrity genomes alarm researchers," by Erika Check. The article's premise:
Doggie doo DNA detectives
A few months ago, a particularly egregious neighbor dog left a gift on our lawn -- while my fascinated girls watched out the window. Naturally, I ran outsid...
Whose genes are doped for Beijing?
Gretchen Reynolds reports in the NY Times on the gene therapy treatment Repoxygen as a means of athletic enhancement:
Start your WatsonVenter chimera now
Nicholas Wade writes about the sequencing of James Watson's genome:
$10,000 genomes? Don't get sick.
This is from the Nicholas Wade article on James Watson's genome:
Filling in the blanks
AP reporter Matt Crenson has a story on the "twisted path" of one man's DNA-aided search for his biological father.
Modern vampires of genealogy
This is a great story by Amy Harmon in the NY Times:
"I need a cure soon"
Writer Amy Harmon has a touching article in today's NY Times, profiling the yearlong adjustments faced by a 23-year-old woman who tested positive for the Hu...
Anti-gene-testing week at N. Y. Times
First, there was Michael Crichton's guest op-ed:
Is the dawn of "gene doping" at hand?
The AP is running this:
The 200 genome challenge
Nick Wade has the story:
Mendelian risk factors and embryo screening
The NYTimes has been very helpful for human geneticists lately, at least when it comes to providing good articles for class discussions. The latest is this ...
Unintended consequences of genetic ancestry tests
The NY Times has an article describing how people are using genealogy testing to prove minority status for college applications!
Sister vs. sister
I think this Times article by bioethicist Robert Klitzman is chilling:
The sad tale of the Black Indians
Wired is running a compelling story of tribal citizenship, genetic ancestry, and race (via Dienekes). </p>
Ancestry testing: what, me worry?
This post at MajorityRights.com dissects my opinion about the DNAPrint AncestrybyDNA tests. The MajorityRights.com post does explicate many aspects of the t...
If you are going to "debunk" race with gene testing, please stop.
Humans do not have discrete races. Racial groups in humans do not have reproductive boundaries. Genetic variation in humans is clinal. Allele frequencies of...
Patents, BRCA2, and Ashkenazim
A column in Slate by Masha Gessen covers the controversy surrounding Myriad Genetics' patent on a test for breast cancer risk via mutations in BRCA2. The te...