I haven’t been paying much attention to 23andMe. I heard about them, but have yet to dig deep into what they are up to.
To me, it’s bringing genetics to everyone. Michael Arrington did a nice post on what you get for a $1000.
Well, for starters, his DNA didn’t get sequenced (that would be much more expensive). It was passed over a chip to detect hundreds of thousands of known DNA segments that as a whole determine some of his genetic make up. But, it seems like the set of DNA segments chosen are enough to create a relevant and interesting genetic profile (Mike goes over his a bit).
What seems interesting is the genealogical aspects. If 23andMe get enough people, might it start dong the ‘friending thing’ of ‘oh, this person shares your haplotype for soft-earwax Bretons’, would you like to add him to your watch list?
