Author granted license

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2006

ISSN

0028-4793

Publisher

Massachusetts Medical Society

Language

en-US

Abstract

"Who am I?” has always been a fundamental philosophical question that may require decades of reflection to answer. With the advent of DNA analysis, there is a growing public impression that the answer may be found in our genes. Various Internet sites offer descriptions of our ancestral history on the basis of our DNA, as well as testing for specific “disease genes” or general profiles that are used to recommend lifestyle changes, such as foods to be eaten or avoided. Researchers have even suggested that although the scientific evidence is speculative and at best probabilistic, many people will want to have their DNA analyzed for markers of predispositions toward certain behaviors, including risk taking, overeating, aggression, and even criminality.

Comments

From The New England Journal of Medicine, George J. Annas, DNA Testing, Banking, and Genetic Privacy, Volume 355, Page 545 Copyright ©(2006) Massachusetts Medical Society. Reprinted with permission.

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