Nature has a brand new web focus on personal genomics (as of November 5th, 2008). And best of all, most of the articles are entirely free to access, download, and read! From the site:
“As the number of human beings with their genomes fully sequenced ticks higher and direct-to-consumer gene profiling companies push the limits of what medical genetics can do, the once fantastical notion that any given human can walk into a doctor’s office with his or her genome on a hard drive looks more and more like a reality. Still the question remains to be answered: how do we use this wealth information? In this Nature web focus we proudly present the challenges this approaching reality poses for technology, the legal and ethical confines of research, and the ability of genomics to translate into clinical utility.”
Here are just a few of the interesting news & opinion articles:
- My genome. So what?
- How to get the most from a gene test
- Personal Genomes: When consent gets in the way
- Personal genomes: Misdirected precaution
- Personal genomes: The case of the missing heritability
- Personal genomes: A disruptive personality, disrupted
And unlike other bloggers who will undoubtedly mention these articles, I recommend that you read or peruse all the articles, not just the ones I happen to agree with!
In addition to the articles, Nature has a podcast (mp3) of special features on personal human genomes. And lastly, follow along as Nature blogs from the 58th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Human Genetics in Philadelphia from November 11-15. It looks like this is going to be quite a meeting.
HT: tweet from attilacsordas - are you tweeting yet? Join me there.
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[...] Also check out a number of recent papers in Nature, - to find them, go read the relevant posts at The Genetic Genealogist or Genetic Future. I have had opinions on this too, but have decided to desist more arguing (for a [...]
[...] (Hat tip: The Genetic Genealogist) [...]