Are you a human or a dog? Some consumer DNA tests don’t seem to know the difference

woman with dog black labrador smiling grass sunshine

A Chicago-based NBC station sent one reporter’s DNA to a handful of home DNA tests to compare the results. And just for kicks, they also sent a sample of DNA from Bailey, a Labrador retriever.

While most companies returned the sample as unreadable, one called Orig3n DNA didn’t seem to notice. Instead, they sent back a 7-page report praising Bailey’s cardiac output and muscle force, and recommending that she work with a personal trainer.

Woof.

And while it’s pretty funny to consider a human genetic testing company seriously recommending a fitness plan to a dog, this incident hints at a deeper, scarier issue: many people have come to think of these easy at-home tests as a replacement for medical advice or counseling.

You’ve heard it before: you shouldn’t put too much stock into at-home genetic tests, or what they tell you about yourself. These services often promise things that DNA can’t really tell you much about, like the wine you should drink or who you should be dating. The medical information DNA provides can be hard to interpret without counseling and even ruinous to your outlook on life. There’s also a chance some tests are giving participants false information.

This canine conundrum shows just how fallible these tests really are.

Read full, original post: Some Genetic Tests Apparently Can’t Tell If You’re Dog Or Human

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