What’s the beginning of Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawkes now defunct relationship have to do with yours? Well I’m glad you asked! You may or not know that Uma and Ethan met on the set of the sci-fi movie, Gattaca.
Gattaca is set some time in the not to distant future where humanity feels that it can tell everything about you, even your future, through a genetic test. I’m not sure that the movie did well at the box office, but I definitely enjoyed it and became a a fan of both Uma and Ethan ever since.
The reason I bring this all up is because Time Magazine just named 23andMe‘s Personal Genome Service as it’s invention of the year 2008.
What does the invention do?
First off the number 23 refers to the number of chromosomes we all posses as human beings.
23andMe can test your chromosomes on over 90 different traits and genetic defects. Right now they can tell you if you’re susceptible to various genetic diseases among other traits. Here’s the curent list from their website:
Clinical Reports (23)
Clinical Reports give you information about conditions and traits for which there are genetic associations supported by multiple, large, peer-reviewed studies. Those associations must also have a substantial influence on a person’s chances of developing the disease or having the trait. Because these associations are widely regarded as reliable, we use them to develop quantitative estimates and definitive explanations of what they mean for you.
- Age-related Macular Degeneration
- Alcohol Flush Reaction
- Bitter Taste Perception
- Celiac Disease
- Crohn’s Disease
- Cystic Fibrosis
- Earwax Type
- Eye Color
- G6PD Deficiency
- Lactose Intolerance
- Malaria Resistance (Duffy Antigen)
- Muscle Performance
- Non-ABO Blood Groups
- Norovirus Resistance
- Parkinson’s Disease
- Prostate Cancer
- Psoriasis
- Resistance to HIV/AIDS
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Sickle Cell Anemia & Malaria Resistance
- Type 1 Diabetes
- Type 2 Diabetes
- Venous Thromboembolism
Research Reports (68)
Research Reports give you information from research that has not yet gained enough scientific consensus to be included in our Clinical Reports. This research is generally based on high-quality but limited scientific evidence. Because these results have not yet been demonstrated through large, replicated studies, we do not perform complete quantitative analyses of their effects. We do, however, explain how they may–if confirmed–affect your odds of having or developing a trait, condition or disease.
Research Reports also includes scientifically accepted, established research that does not have a dramatic influence on a person’s risk for a disease.
- Alcohol Dependence
- Ankylosing Spondylitis
- Antidepressant Response
- Asthma
- Atrial Fibrillation
- Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- Avoidance of Errors
- Back Pain
- Baldness
- Beta-Blocker Response
- Bipolar Disorder
- Birth Weight
- Blood Glucose
- Breast Cancer
- Breast Cancer
- C-reactive Protein Level
- Caffeine Metabolism
- Celiac Disease
- Cluster Headaches
- Colorectal Cancer
- Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease
- Developmental Dyslexia
- Endometriosis
- Esophageal Cancer
- Eye Color
- Food Preference
- Freckling
- Gallstones
- Glaucoma
- Gout
- HDL Cholesterol Level
- HIV Progression
- Hair Color
- Heart Attack
- Height
- Heroin Addiction
- High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)
- Kidney Disease
- Larynx Cancer
- Longevity
- Lou Gehrig’s Disease (ALS)
- Lung Cancer
- Lupus (Systemic Lupus Erythematosus)
- Male Infertility
- Measures of Intelligence
- Memory
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Neuroblastoma
- Nicotine Dependence
- Obesity
- Obesity
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
- Odor Detection
- Oral and Throat Cancer
- Osteoarthritis
- Pain Sensitivity
- Peripheral Arterial Disease
- Persistent Fetal Hemoglobin
- Placental Abruption
- Pre-eclampsia
- Progressive Supranuclear Palsy
- Restless Legs Syndrome
- Schizophrenia
- Sjögren’s Syndrome
- Skin Cancer
- Stomach Cancer
- Tardive Dyskinesia
- Uterine Fibroids
You future foretold for the low low cost of only $399!
In Gattaca, women even take skin cells from potential mates and test the skin for the right genetic code. Having the right genetic code means everything in the future that Gattaca foretells. Without the right code you’ll have no future because.
Your 23andMe scan includes genetic analysis on all of the following diseases, traits, and conditions. This list grows will grow as new research is published and tests developed.
The following comes from the 23andme website and gives a list of the traits that they will test you, your family or potential husband.
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