Consumer DNA testing
Digging through myths and rumors around DNA privacy
Every once in a while, untruths spread through the genetic genealogy world that have the potential to do great damage: damage ...
Why a proposed DNA data protection plan is a great idea that may be too late to help
Legal experts, biologists and policy analysists are calling for DNA data regulation, but the cat is already out of the ...
Viewpoint: Consumer tests are ‘neither safe nor private’
As millions of Americans sat down to Thanksgiving dinner, the biomedical researcher James Hazel sent out a stark warning about the genetic-testing kits that ...
Why DNA ethnicity results are so unreliable
Everyone who received DNA test kits during the holiday season has hopefully spit or swabbed and mailed and is now ...
Viewpoint: 54 years later, DNA testing revealed my secret biological father
One evening in the winter of 2016, my husband mentioned that he was sending away for one of those commercial ...
Can consumer genetic tests actually make us healthier?
“I believe genetic testing saved my life,” says Kim Horner, author of “Probably Someday Cancer." ...
Viewpoint: DNA fitness test claims are ‘misleading’
The sales pitch is compelling: By revealing the secrets locked inside your DNA, genetic testing can optimize your workout gains ...
What if you think you’re Black, but your DNA test disagrees?
Three years ago, when Sigrid E. Johnson was 62, she got a call from a researcher seeking volunteers for a ...
DNA test for your dog? Here’s what your vet thinks about it
[T]he direct-to-dog-owner market has become bigger and more crowded: Embark, DNA My Dog, and Paw Print Genetics are just a few ...
Viewpoint: Why ancestry tests shouldn’t be ‘read as a certainty’
Yes, I’m the kind of person who would take a DNA test with Ancestry and then, curious about whether I’d ...
Viewpoint: Why consumer DNA tests are more dangerous than you might think
Commercial DNA testing isn’t just harmless entertainment. It’s keeping alive ideas that deserve to die ...
Finding ‘surprising and novel’ applications for consumer genomics
With more than 10 million genotyped customers, the consumer genomics industry is maturing and becoming a mainstream phenomenon. At last, ...
Viewpoint: Consumer DNA tests promise more than they can deliver
Over the past few years, many [DNA testing companies] have branched out into the realm of precision health, treading into ...
Genetic crystal ball? Forecasting 5 serious diseases with algorithm that checks 6.6 million DNA spots
Scientists have created a powerful new tool to calculate a person’s inherited risks for heart disease, breast cancer and three ...
Seeking to optimize athletic performance through DNA analysis
Athletic Genetix promises to help athletes gain an edge (with reports personalized to individual sports) and to assist consumers in reaching ...
When a DNA test says you aren’t exactly who you think you are
[Catherine] St Clair thought she was inquiring about a technical glitch. Her brother—the brother who along with three other siblings ...
10 questions about consumer genetics tests
So-called direct-to-consumer DNA testing companies like 23andMe, Ancestry and Helix advertise the ability to reveal your ancestry, inform you of ...