What If Google Knew Your DNA?
Max Selim is back to talk about genomics and the privacy of our DNA. Max gives us the quick history of genomics and the Human Genome Project, Spencer thinks aliens have been manipulating our DNA for thousand of years, and Ryan has a 23 and Me-induced existential crisis.
Hot Topics: Genomics, 23 and Me, Louis Vuitton Babies, X-Men, The Nephilim, Alien-Human Hybrids, Genetic Manipulation, GATTACA, Old Money/New Health, Wait – Which One Is Iceland?, and much more
23 and Me
23 and Me’s mission is “To help people access, understand and benefit from the human genome.” They offer genetic testing to determine your ancestry, genetic traits, and health. They might also sell your genetic data to third parties.
The Human Genome Project
The Human Genome Project sequenced the full human genome for the first time in 2003.
From genome.gov: “A genome is an organism’s complete set of DNA, a chemical compound that contains the genetic instructions needed to develop and direct the activities of every organism. DNA molecules are made of two twisting, paired strands. Each strand is made of four chemical units, called nucleotide bases. The bases are adenine (A), thymine (T), guanine (G) and cytosine (C). Bases on opposite strands pair specifically; an A always pairs with a T, and a C always with a G.
The human genome contains approximately 3 billion of these base pairs, which reside in the 23 pairs of chromosomes within the nucleus of all our cells. Each chromosome contains hundreds to thousands of genes, which carry the instructions for making proteins. Each of the estimated 30,000 genes in the human genome makes an average of three proteins.
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