Earlier today NewMexiKen posted an item discussing race, genes, and intelligence. Here’s a somewhat related article, this one from the Times, about the things we inherit — My Genome, Myself: Seeking Clues in DNA.
For as little as $1,000 and a saliva sample, customers will be able to learn what is known so far about how the billions of bits in their biological code shape who they are. Three companies have already announced plans to market such services, one yesterday.
Offered the chance to be among the early testers, I agreed, but not without reservations. What if I learned I was likely to die young? Or that I might have passed on a rogue gene to my daughter? And more pragmatically, what if an insurance company or an employer used such information against me in the future?
But three weeks later, I was already somewhat addicted to the daily communion with my genes.
I recommend you go read what she found.
An article by Stephen S. Hall in The New Yorker this week (November 19th issue) discusses the increasingly-accepted finding that low birth weight (less than 5.5 pounds) is a predictor of adult illnesses such as “coronary heart disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and stroke.” This article is not online.