Eye on DNA Headlines for 27 November 2007

by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei
Posted November 27, 2007 in DNA Testing, DNA and the Law, Eye on DNA Headlines

• Serial killer Allan Legere, who committed his crimes in 1989, was the first to be convicted in Canada using DNA typing. Now Science East wants to convert his jail cell into an exhibit on DNA, science, and law. Heck if you can drag me into jail just see this despite my devotion to DNA arcana.
• Despite the brouhaha over new next-gen personal genomics services, it bears repeating that we are more than our DNA. The Toronto Star gets into epigenetics today.

  Epigenetic processes are a normal and necessary part of life. Much like a software program that tells a computer how to work, epigenetic processes tell our DNA when, where and how to express each of the body’s 25,000 genes. But if they go wrong or work ineffectively, there can be major health consequences. And scientists now believe that epigenetic changes are the root cause of many complex, chronic diseases, including cancer, neurological disorders and type 2 diabetes.

• Cramming for a test or just want a quickie genetics reference? Seed Magazine has a genetics cribsheet that may help.
• As Steve Mount and Blaine Bettinger have pointed out, this week’s genetics flavor is DNA testing for ancestry and ethnicity. Edward Ball’s new book, The Genetic Strand, makes it all even more fascinating. See Susan Okie’s Washington Post review.
• Yesterday, the Sorenson Identigene DNA paternity test hit the shelves of Rite Aid and other pharmacies. If you’re interested in family relationship testing, check out this Home Maternity DNA Testing Kit from Amazon.com. There’s “1 used & new available from $199.00.” Why not be the first customer to review it?

Tags: genetics, genes, dna, dna testing, paternity testing, genetic genealogy

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Comment by Lisa

2007-11-27 17:44:46

Amazon’s got 1 new and 1 used maternity dna testing kit, eh? If buy the used one, does this mean I get a new (to me), used (by the first tester) mother?

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Comment by Hsien-Hsien Lei, PhD

2007-11-27 17:47:38

Sorry, there’s only 1 new one available now. I bought the used one. HAHA

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