Eye on DNA Headlines for 26 December 2007

by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei
Posted December 26, 2007 in DNA Testing, DNA in General, Eye on DNA Headlines

• Esther Dyson gets her father, physicist and mathematician Freeman Dyson, a 23andMe kit and subscription for Christmas. Here he is getting ready to start spitting.
• Speaking of 23andMe, they may have made Wired’s list of Top 10 Startups Worth Watching in 2008 but Mashable named them one of The Dumbest Startups of 2007. Goes to show you can’t please everyone.

  For those who think that spending that type of money while giving up ownership of your saliva is not a winning proposition, Drama 2.0, at no cost, can advise you that the results of your 23andMe analysis would not have been promising anyway: you will one day die.

• A repeat of the 60 Minutes segment on genetic genealogy has made the search for [family tree DNA] #1 at Google Trends as of 4 pm, December 23 with a “Volcanic” hotness rating. A search for [african ancestry] ranked #68 with a “Mild” hotness rating.
• DNA Diagnostic Center has launched a DNA Education Corner that includes info for teachers and educators of kindergarten to 12th grade students. (via The DNA Testing Blog, a DNA Network member)
• Interested in storing extracted DNA in the safety of your own home at room temperature without fancy freezers? Learn more from this DNA Direct flyer (pdf) about DNA Archive! (FYI, I work for DNA Direct .)

Tags: genetics, genes, dna, dna storage, dna archive, dna direct, 23andme

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2 Comments

Comment by Erica Smith

2007-12-26 23:09:05

So one company will charge $140, another will charge $160, another company does it for free, and another company charges $175. Why are there no regulations in place?

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Comment by Hsien-Hsien Lei, PhD

2007-12-27 09:11:48

Hi Erica, Thanks for the comment. I assume you’re referring to DNA storage? DNA Archive is sold exclusively by DNA Direct and is offered at $175. You won’t find DNA Archive offered for less elsewhere.

As for DNA storage in general, I assume companies usually determine pricing based on cost, desired profit margin, and what they think the market will bear. Personally, I don’t believe that regulation is required for every single product on the market, genetic or not. Basic economic theory…. Of course, your opinion may vary depending on your political leanings.

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