Taking a DNA test kit sounds like harmless fun but some people end up getting more than they bargained for.
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Articles on Direct-to-consumer DNA testing
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Both Macron and Madonna have expressed concerns about genetic privacy. As DNA collection and sequencing becomes increasingly commonplace, what may seem paranoid may instead be prescient.
The South African Khoe-San communities are no strangers to exploitative research. One research team is trying to provide genetic ancestry results to community members. But they still face many challenges.
Many people are filing lawsuits after discovering that sperm banks failed to verify information from donors about their medical and personal backgrounds.
Scientists who work in local companies have acquired local knowledge and are therefore able to work with South Africa’s unique genetic diversity better than anyone else.
Can the new owner of GEDmatch ,a genealogy database preserve its original purpose while allowing a seamless service to law enforcement?
DNA testing kits will be a popular gift this holiday season. Before mailing off your saliva, it’s important to understand what these kits can and cannot tell us.
Genetic apps claim to reveal fundamental insights about your health, well-being, and even intellect. But it’s not just spurious science - believing these traits are genetic can have harmful consequences.
Genetic testing could help us build targeted and effective training routines for athletes, but the emerging science could also introduce opportunity for discrimination in the sporting world.
Scientists explain why commercial gene testing should be used with caution.
We asked five experts if DNA testing was worthwhile. Four out of five said yes.
Genetic testing companies are offering tests that analyze the ends of your chromosomes – telomeres – to gauge your health and your real age. But is there scientific evidence to support such tests?
Most common chronic diseases are the outcome of complex interactions between genetic, environmental and social risk factors, so a genetic risk score, on its own, isn’t much help.
New research investigated who uses the wide array of tools available to people who’ve received their own raw genetic data and want to maximize what they learn from it.
Estimating our ancestry is hard – because our backgrounds are much more mixed up than we thought. So don’t take your DNA ancestry test results literally: they’re just a prediction.
Direct-to-consumer genetic testing company 23andMe is now offering a new ‘polygenic risk score’ that reveals your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. Does it work? Are our family physicians ready?
The results of genetic ancestry tests are grossly over-simplified. A new study shows the tests reinforce what you want to believe rather than offering objective, scientific proof of who you are.
Genetics is influencing more and more of our decisions, but we can’t make the right choices if we don’t understand it.
Data and privacy issues are tangled up in the DNA reports consumers get from big genetic testing companies – and the third-party sites they turn to in order to glean more from their raw DNA.
More people are sending off saliva samples to find out about their genetic roots. But the raw DNA results go way beyond genealogical data – and could deliver unintended consequences.
Top contributors
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Research Scientist in Biostatistics, University of Washington
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Director of Bruce Lefroy Centre for Genetic Health Research, Murdoch Children's Research Institute
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Visiting Professor in Biomedical Ethics, Murdoch Children's Research Institute; Distinguished Visiting Professor in Law, University of Melbourne; Uehiro Chair in Practical Ethics, University of Oxford
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Professor in Medical Sciences, Deakin University
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Director, Queensland Bioethics Centre, Australian Catholic University
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Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Sydney
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Research fellow, The University of Queensland
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Professor of Genetics and Public Engagement, University of Leicester
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Postdoctoral research fellow, Stellenbosch University
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Professor of Strength and Conditioning, Edith Cowan University
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Professor of Anthropology, Deakin University
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Junior Fellow, MacEachen Institute for Public Policy and Governance; Medical Student, Dalhousie University
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Lecturer in Psychology and Human Neuroscience, Royal Holloway University of London
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Ethical, Legal & Social Adviser - Public Health Genomics, Monash University
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Professor of English, York University, Canada
