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Goodbye Facebook, hello cheek swabs

SIRI AGRELL

From Thursday's Globe and Mail

Latest comment posted at 5:10 PM EST 22/01/08

'Biological networks' link long-lost relatives ...Read the full article

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  1. Dennis Rice from St. John's, Canada writes: This is an interesting comment:
    "'Traditional social-networking programs are a powerful system of linking people together, but offers no reason to make those connections,' said Dr. June Wong, of the Vancouver-based DNA Ancestry Project."

    I can see how this concept can be interesting and useful, but Dr. Wong seems to be suggesting that biological connection is somehow a 'better' basis for relationships. I'm not so sure I agree. I generally have closer relationships with people who share my interests, values, etc., than with people who I am related to through the lottery known as genetics.

    I'm willing to be that a lot of the people users will connect with through this sort of service wouldn't make the cut on their facebook friends list.
  2. Dennis Rice from St. John's, Canada writes: Er, "bet".
  3. Ron Paul is the '08 man from Great White North, Canada writes: Surrrrre send in your DNA why don't you to some unknown lab.....sure. Just don't go complaining once this information gets stolen, lost or sold.

    I'm running to the Bay to get me a self-swab kit. Right, effing now.
  4. Stefanie Higney from Toronto, Canada writes: Sounds neat, but I'm not sure I'm comfortable with the idea of a database of DNA accessible by anyone.
  5. Gabriel E from Toronto, Canada writes: Be wary, people. CBC ran a good piece on these types of products a little while back. Take a look and read here: http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/whosyourgrand_daddy/
  6. Sonia Carreno from Canada writes: Fabulous, maybe they'll isolate the gullibility gene. What progress...
  7. Jacques Shellac from Montreal, Canada writes: Ron Paul supporters continue to distinguish themselves from the realm of rational thought.

    Anyway, as per the article, most of these tests are too narrow to identify anything but deep ancestry. This is interesting in its own right, but it doesn't really help you to locate recent ancestors because the resolution of the tests are too narrow.

    And, as to the privacy issues, these companies do very limited scans of the dna samples that they receive. The markers that are being identified are too widespread to be used to identify a single individual. It's true that they could be more extensive, and this may be an issue in the years to come, but for now I wouldn't worry about it, especially if the contract stipulates that these samples will never be made available to outside agencies, etc.
  8. B Ford from Edmonton, Canada writes: you can choose your friends, but you can't choose your relatives. I have far more interest and commonalities with my chosen friends. Distant relatives, dead ancestors are perhaps an incidental interest that might bring history alive.

    The CBC investigative show
    (http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/whosyourgrand_daddy/ )
    had people send away for their reports and i seem to recall they got back useless generalities that people with ancestors China might be related to Ghengis Khan or those in Europe "might" be related to Marie Antoinnette. Hey, i might be a very distant relative of GW Bush too, we are both caucasian. Hey, pale Northern people might have descended from Vikings. Apparently the science does not get much better than this for the few dollars these services charge. They might get your race and part of the world your ancestors came from but you likely know already. More detailed DNA investigations in Brazil apparently found that many prominent people there were (somewhat or slightly) mixed race, whether they saw or knew it or not.
  9. Steph Oh from Calgary, Canada writes: The thing you have to remember about Marketplace is that it's really a shock-value kind of thing. I mean, it's like assuming everything Howard Stern says is true. Immediately after the segment on DNA testing, they ran that hilarious segment on Canadian Tire money. Marketplace is kind of a joke --- let's not forget about that.

    I've done the test and I've met a lot of really interesting people who, too, have reached a brick wall trying to find out more about their genealogical past. I think people should ease up on the whole, "Oh no, they got my DNA" kind of mentality. Unless you've done something to draw attention to yourself, I don't think anyone really cares about your DNA.
  10. justin hio from Montreal, Canada writes: So after the horrors of WW2 and the ultimate dreams of histories tyrants from Caesar to Hitler no one is supposed to be a little uptight about such a plan?

    What else could such a program that collects genetic information be used for? Eugenics?

    Facebook and this are the toys that tyrants have dreamed of having for thousands of years - now they no longer have to use force to get the people to give them all their information and be tracked, they willingly give it up.

    It's amazing how quickly things are forgotten.
  11. Janet Digby from Kelowna, Canada writes: DNA social networking is definitely interesting and appears to be an extension of the National Geographic's Genographic Project. (https://www3.nationalgeographic.com/genographic/index.html). Testing kits are costly and I, for one, would prefer to to go with National Geographic where one's personal testing becomes data for research as well as personal information and where a portion of the fee is used to support DNA testing in parts of the world that haven't got the cash to spare.
  12. alan johnson from Canada writes: So the Nazis will have a database of gullible people and thats as far as they will get. I choose to be the second mouse in line for the tasty cheese.
  13. Gordon Murray from Canada writes: Somehow paternity test results presentation isn't what I thought it was.
    "That's right. You swab the inside of your cheek and send it to us. We'll tell you who's who, regardless of what others do. It's science. There are of course other services we offer, which might include other person's data. Data SECURELY kept. Not like the British government's type of data control but rather REAL data security. REAL data security. Of course if you have funds additional that, perhaps the British model is the reasonable and conservative one due respect."
  14. Glenn Wallace from Germantown, United States writes: BEWARE GeneBase at ALL COSTS~! This company has no professional ability whatsoever in providing correct DNA results. Their website is archaic in terms of searching for matching results. Their customer service is pathetic and non-existent. They claim to have 500,000 subscribers, yet many of us are still waiting for our results... over a year after submitting our DNA samples!

    There are plenty of people who feel the same. See this LINK for the multitude of dissatisfied customers.

    For anyone interested in PROPER DNA testing, go to Family Tree DNA. They far exceed all expectations and are willing to help you discover your past.

    Genebase is only taking advantage of the ignorance of those who are trying to find out more about themselves and who are willing to spend money to go the DNA route to do it.

    BEWARE... and AVOID~!
  15. Glenn Wallace from Germantown, United States writes: This link above is not working, so here is the GeneticsandHealth website for the comments of dissatisfied genebase-bionet customers:

    www.geneticsandhealth.com/2005/11/03/genebase-bionet/#comments

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