DNA – TimBatchelder

23andMe and the FDA: what really drove them apart

December 7, 2013December 26, 2013 by timbatchelder, posted in Data Governance, Health Informatics, Knowledge Management

What Really Drove 23andMe And The FDA Apart
BY ROBERT SAFIAN, fastcompany.com

Is getting a $99 DNA test really hazardous to your health? Our editor-in-chief decodes an innovation dustup.

When we put 23andMe CEO Anne Wojcicki on the cover of Fast Company’s November issue, we didn’t expect the FDA to yank the compan…

http://flip.it/UoyAS

Exclusive: What Really Drove 23andMe And The FDA Apart (fastcompany.com)
FDA tells 23andMe to halt sales of genetic test – USA TODAY (newestgadgetsinfo.com)
23andMe ordered to stop selling $99 genetic test (newscientist.com)

FDA puts foot down on 23andme

November 27, 2013December 25, 2013 by timbatchelder, posted in Data Governance, Health Informatics, Knowledge Management

No DNA Testing For You, Thanks to the FDA
By Nick Gillespie, thedailybeast.com

Personal genetic tests are safe, innovative, and the future of medicine. So why is the most transparent administration ever shutting down a cheap and popular service? Because it can.

In its infinite wisdom, the Food and Drug…

http://flip.it/Np3Bq

Nick Gillespie: I Want My DNA! (ivoter.com)

23andme: how to use genetic testing while ensuring privacy

September 29, 2013December 24, 2013 by timbatchelder, posted in Health Informatics, Knowledge Management, Security Privacy

How to use 23andMe without giving up your genetic privacy
Sarah A. Downey, venturebeat.com

Sarah A. Downey is an attorney, privacy analyst, and writer at Abine, an online privacy startup in Boston. Find her on Twitter @SarahADowney.

If you’re like me, the idea of knowing what’s in your genetic profile is both…

http://flip.it/GpsmW

How to use 23andMe without giving up your genetic privacy (venturebeat.com)
23andMe surrenders, sort of: Testing kits rebranded to offer ‘ancestry info’ now (medcitynews.com)
Women sue 23andMe over marketing claims (bizjournals.com)
The problems with the BRCA test from 23andMe (kevinmd.com)

Bulletproof conference: biohack your life

May 19, 2013June 11, 2013 by timbatchelder, posted in Health Informatics, Knowledge Management, Metadata Masterdata

(via Bulletproof Conference — Biohack Your Life)

guardian tecnologia: Kickstarter must not fund biohackers’ glow-in-the-dark plants | Martin Lukacs (guardian.co.uk)
Biohacking (wewanttolearn.wordpress.com)
Make Yourself Bulletproof (exohuman.com)

Mapping your DNA could save your life

March 27, 2013June 20, 2013 by timbatchelder, posted in Health Informatics, Knowledge Management

Why Mapping Your DNA Could Save Your Life
Lauren Drell, mashable.com

You may think you know yourself like the back of your hand, but unless you’ve been DNA tested, there’s probably a lot you don’t know about yourself. Within each of the 50 trillion cells in your body rests the microscopic DNA that programs your ent…

http://flip.it/XnzN2

Patent. (postdocstreet.wordpress.com)
DNA Fog helps identify trespassers, thieves, and brigands (gizmag.com)
15 Questions “Jurassic Park” Left Unanswered (buzzfeed.com)
Open thread for night owls: Scalia and the case of the non-controversial description of DNA (dailykos.com)

Coolest ideas in bio design

February 1, 2013June 11, 2013 by timbatchelder, posted in Cognitive Science, Health Informatics, Knowledge Management, Metadata Masterdata, Systems Science

The 11 Coolest Ideas In Biodesign
By Shaunacy Ferro, popsci.com

William Myers’ Bio Design explores the intersection of design and biology.

View Photo Gallery

We can already store Shakespeare’s sonnets in DNA. What if we could use trees as city lights, or turn pigeon poop into natural street…

RT @PopSci: 11 crazy feats of bio-engineering, including jackets grown from bacteria (?) (!) http://flip.it/plTHS http://flip.it/IFPUr

Capture the future from the past…. (technologyfork12.wordpress.com)

Biology is now an information science

December 20, 2012April 18, 2013 by timbatchelder, posted in Health Informatics, Knowledge Management, Linguistic Search

Genome sequencing pioneer: How biology entered the information age
John Timmer, arstechnica.com

Eric Lander Nobel Dialogue WeekSTOCKHOLM, SWEDEN—Eric Lander was one of the leaders behind the effort to sequence the human genome. He has also continued to work on various follow-up projects through his involvement with the Broad Institute, a…

RT @arstechnica: Genome sequencing pioneer: How biology entered the information age http://flip.it/rHovL by @j_timmer http://flip.it/Y4qoD

Researchers show 70 percent protein-coding human genes are related to zebrafish (news.bioscholar.com)
Human Genome Project Marks 10th Anniversary (livescience.com)
Can We Patent Life? (newyorker.com)
Study finds molecular ‘signature’ for rapidly increasing form of esophageal cancer (eurekalert.org)

Personal genomic price drop: 23andMe

December 14, 2012April 15, 2013 by timbatchelder, posted in Health Informatics, Knowledge Management, Linguistic Search, Network Science

What Is 23andMe Really Selling: The Moral Quandary At The Center Of The Personalized Genomics Revolution
Steven Kotler, forbes.com

This week, 23andme, the personalized genomics company founded by Anne Wojcicki, wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin, got an influx of investment cash ($50 million). According to their press release, they are using the money to bring …

RT @ForbesTech: What Is 23andMe Really Selling: The Moral Quandary At The Center Of The Personalized Genomics Revolution http://flip.it/H1sqW http://flip.it/tKy8R

Why 23andMe Is About More Than You And Me (portal.lillycoi.com)
23andMe Discovers Genetic Associations For Myopia (futurepundit.com)
23andMe identifies multiple genetic factors impacting development of nearsightedness (eurekalert.org)
Multiple Genetic Factors Identified That Impact The Development Of Nearsightedness (medicalnewstoday.com)
23andMe Finds Multiple Genetic Factors Impacting Nearsightedness (33rdsquare.com)
23andMe and the tension between Big Data and privacy in healthcare (freshnetworks.com)
23andMe Requests FDA Clearance for DNA Saliva Testing (labsoftnews.typepad.com)
23andMe Test Helps Boston Woman (23andme.com)

Harvard bio library stores 70 billion books on DNA

November 27, 2012April 7, 2013 by timbatchelder, posted in Health Informatics, Knowledge Management, Linguistic Search

Harvard Stores 70 Billion Books in Record Breaking DNA Bio-Library the Size of a Thumbnail | Inhabitat – Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building
GreatEmerald says:, inhabitat.com

DNA photo from Shutterstock

A team from Harvard University’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering has discovered a way to store 70 billion books in a space the size of your thumbnail! Using…

http://flpbd.it/ScLZL

DNA an option for data storage (networkworld.com)
BOOK REVIEW: Bridgette Meinhold’s Urgent Architecture Showcases 40 Sustainable Housing Solutions for a Changing World (inhabitat.com)
Sequence Your DNA In An Hour On This Tiny Chip (gizmodo.com)

DNA Pioneer Craig Venter Developing a 3D Printer for Vaccines

October 28, 2012March 27, 2013 by timbatchelder, posted in Health Informatics, Knowledge Management, Metadata Masterdata

DNA Pioneer Craig Venter Developing a 3D Printer for Vaccines | Inhabitat – Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building
Alyssa Alimurung says:, inhabitat.com

Geneticist J. Craig Venter told attendees at the recent Wired Health Conference in New York City that his scientific team is working on what he calls “a 3D printer for DNA, a 3D printer for life.” Such a device—which Venter also refers…

http://flpbd.it/PRc08

J. Craig Venter Institute Researchers Say They Created a “Synthetic Cell” (biospace.com)
2013 Genomics: The Era Beyond the Sequencing Human Genome: Francis Collins, Craig Venter, Eric Lander, et al. (pharmaceuticalintelligence.com)
Life hacking: Craig Venter says he’s close to creating artificial bacterium ‘from scratch’ (venturebeat.com)
6 Crazy Things You Can Make with 3D Printers (mentalfloss.com)
Craig Venter close to creating synthetic life (newscientist.com)
Joshua Harris’ 3D Clothing Printer Recycles Old Garments to Create New Apparel (inhabitat.com)

Epigenetics inspires philosophical experiments

October 14, 2012February 24, 2013 by timbatchelder, posted in Health Informatics, Knowledge Management, Metadata Masterdata

Monya Baker, nature.com

An artist’s conception of epigenetic cloning

Jonathan Keats

The man in the bowtie says he can transform you into anyone you want. At the Modernism Gallery in San Francisco, conceptual artist Jonathan Keats is applying his…

http://flpbd.it/5U85D

Epigenetics inspires philosophical experiments

Life experiences put their stamp on the next generation: New insights from epigenetics (medicalxpress.com)
Life experiences put their stamp on the next generation: New insights from epigenetics (eurekalert.org)
Pioneering study reveals association of chronic pain and broad epigenetic changes (medicalxpress.com)
The Genetic Transmission Of Traits Reflects Alterations In Genetic Structure: Life Experiences Put Their Stamp On The Next Generation (medicalnewstoday.com)
Chronic Pain Alters DNA Marking In The Brain (medicalnewstoday.com)
Chronic pain alters DNA marking in brain (scienceblog.com)
New epigenetic mechanisms for improved cancer therapy (medicalxpress.com)
A smoking gun in lung cancer epigenetics (eurekalert.org)

Check Your Genome

October 6, 2012February 18, 2013 by timbatchelder, posted in Design UX, Health Informatics, Knowledge Management

Check Your Genome
Caleb Garling, wired.com

berkeleylab/Flickr

Gene mutations can predict how you’ll respond to certain substances. Here’s what genetic testing outfit 23andMe can tell you about how you might react to the drugs below.

Drugs for which your 23andMe results can…

http://flpbd.it/jyQOz

Check Out The Geekiest Black Friday Deal Ever (GOOG) (embargozone.com)
Anne Wojcicki of 23andMe on One Million-DNA March and More (Video) (allthingsd.com)
Few Negative Reactions Expressed By Consumers To The Results Of Genetic Testing For Cancer Mutations (medicalnewstoday.com)
Some Basics About Using 23andMe (23andme.com)
Decoding Your DNA: Does First Class and Economy Already Exist? (raventools.com)
George Church on Singularity 1 on 1: Inactivity and Complacency Are The Most Dangerous Ideas (singularityweblog.com)
Top Genetic Findings of 2012 (23andme.com)
Russian billionaire backs 23andMe in $50M round (fiercebiotechit.com)
DIY Your DNA With 23andMe (Now Just $99!) (brit.co)
12 things I learned from my 23andMe results (jameskennedybeijing.wordpress.com)

Infographic: Humans Are Just A Twig On The Tree Of Life

October 1, 2012February 18, 2013 by timbatchelder, posted in Design UX, Knowledge Management

Infographic: Humans Are Just A Twig On The Tree Of Life
By Mark Wilson, fastcodesign.com

3.5 billion years of evolution, in one beautiful infographic.

Life started with bacteria. By some cosmic chance, amino acids became DNA and proteins, which together became life. It took roughly 2 billion more years for things to get more…

http://flpbd.it/Xrm83

Infographic Design: FEMA on Warning Watch Infographic (digitalsurgeons.com)
Conflicting Computer Infographics – This Infographic Details a Person’s Relationship to Electronics (TrendHunter.com) (trendhunter.com)

Personal Genome Project picks up participants

September 1, 2012November 1, 2012 by timbatchelder, posted in Health Informatics, Knowledge Management, Network Science

Personal Genome Project – Homepage.

Personal Genome Project Posts DNA Info Online (npr.org)
Years to Regeneration and Antiaging via Stem Cells and Gene therapy per George Church (nextbigfuture.com)
George Church, Harvard genetics professor, banters with Stephen Colbert (boston.com)
Open-source science helps San Carlos father’s genetic quest (mercurynews.com)
Do-it-yourself biotech: Ellen Jorgensen at TEDGlobal 2012 (ted.com)
Across 1,000 genomes, rarities abound (sciencenews.org)
1000 genomes study is ‘guidebook’ to how genes vary (eurekalert.org)
Decoding ENCODE (genotopia.scienceblog.com)
The groundbreaking ‘genetic guidebook for humans’ that could lead to radical new personalised treatments for everything from cancer to heart disease (dailymail.co.uk)

DNA: The Ultimate Hard Drive

August 20, 2012February 11, 2013 by timbatchelder, posted in Health Informatics, Knowledge Management

ScienceNow, wired.com

Researchers have stored an entire genetics textbook in less than a picogram of DNA, or one trillionth of a gram . It’s an advance that could revolutionize our ability to save data.

http://flpbd.it/BN1W3

DNA: The Ultimate Hard Drive

DNA: The Ultimate Hard Drive (news.dice.com)
Every Shakespeare sonnet now right where you need it: DNA (dvice.com)
Data Storage in DNA Becomes a Reality (blogs.discovermagazine.com)
Shakespeare’s sonnets encoded in DNA (guardian.co.uk)
DNA Services of America Announces New Chief Scientific Officer (prweb.com)

Personal genetics company seeks regulatory approval

August 20, 2012February 11, 2013 by timbatchelder, posted in Data Governance, Digital Health, Health Informatics, Knowledge Management, Linguistic Search

Image representing 23andMe as depicted in Crun... — Image via CrunchBase

Personal genetics company seeks regulatory approval

Monya Baker, nature.com

Personal genetics company 23andMe announced Monday that it was seeking FDA approval for an initial batch of seven health-related tests with scores more to follow.

23andMe, based in Mountain View, California, markets genetics test…

http://flpbd.it/usMr0

23andMe’s Tools Help Solve Ancestry Mystery (23andme.com)
One Million Strong, A Note from 23andMe’s Anne Wojcicki (23andme.com)
23andMe Requests FDA Clearance for DNA Saliva Testing (labsoftnews.typepad.com)
Check Out The Geekiest Black Friday Deal Ever (GOOG) (embargozone.com)
23andMe Sets Growth Goal Of One Million Customers, Reduces Price to $99 (quantifiedself.com)
Russian billionaire backs 23andMe in $50M round (fiercebiotechit.com)
23andMe Raises More Than $50M From Milner, NEA, Brin, Google, Others (pehub.com)
Genetics startup 23andMe raises $50M from Yuri Milner & others, drops price to $99 (venturebeat.com)
23andMe and Genentech Expand Cancer Study (23andme.com)
Decoding Your DNA: Does First Class and Economy Already Exist? (raventools.com)

Wifi laptops exposure and reproductive health

June 2, 2011January 31, 2014 by timbatchelder, posted in Cognitive Science, Data Governance, Health Informatics, Network Science, Security Privacy, Systems Science

English: Electron microscope image of sperm. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

For years, other countries have been far more cautious about the impacts of electromagnetic radiation on human health than in the US and far too little is known about this as we increasingly expose ourselves to these fields. In parts of Europe for example there are much stricter regulations on exposure to EMFs than in the US. Recently new research shows an additional area of potential concern: Wifi signal and a laptop can damage sperm performance including causing a decrease in human sperm motility, sperm DNA fragmentation (irreversible changes in the genetic code), damaging up to 25% of the sperm. As a result, while we may need many technologies to work, we should be careful to limit my exposure through certain measures. Personally I am cautious to ensure adequate distance between electric sources since EMFs decrease significantly with distance.

Wi-Fi Laptops Harm Sperm Motility And Increase Sperm DNA Fragmentation.

If WiFi and cell phone radiation are safe, why has Belgium’s telecomm boss banned them from his offices? (ascendingstarseed.wordpress.com)
TV Bad, Exercise Good for Sperm Count in Young Men (news.health.com)
If WiFi and cell phone radiation are safe, why has Belgium’s telecomm boss banned them from his offices? (thetruthseeker.co.uk)
Too Much TV Tied to Lower Sperm Count in Young Men (news.health.com)
Jet fuel, plastics exposures cause disease in later generations; Reproductive diseases, obesity (sciencedaily.com)
A Cell Phone in a Pocket can Drastically Reduce Sperm Count and Motility (Arousal) According to Author Peter McIntosh of ‘A Subtle Addiction’ the eBook of 2013 (virtual-strategy.com)
A Sedentary Lifestyle Can Reduce Sperm Quality (medicalnewstoday.com)
Wifi (triformblog.wordpress.com)

High Speed Science: NIH vs. 23andMe Smackdown

September 10, 2010February 9, 2013 by timbatchelder, posted in Health Informatics, Knowledge Management

via www.wired.com

Another excellent article on turning the scientific method on its head using new web based social networking data mining methods versus hypothesis/testing. For example compares the conventional approach of NIH to that of 23andMe in studying Parkinson’s which lead to a reduction in research time from 6 years to 8 months.

DIY Your DNA With 23andMe (Now Just $99!) (brit.co)
Using your 23andMe data: how inbred are you? (blogs.discovermagazine.com)
How to Analyze Your 23andMe DNA Results (simplerna.com)
One Million Strong, A Note from 23andMe’s Anne Wojcicki (23andme.com)
23andMe Sets Growth Goal Of One Million Customers, Reduces Price to $99 (quantifiedself.com)
Decoding Your DNA: Does First Class and Economy Already Exist? (raventools.com)
23andMe Raises $50 Million in New Funding, Adding Yuri Milner as Investor (allthingsd.com)
12 things I learned from my 23andMe results (jameskennedybeijing.wordpress.com)

Ancestry.com/RootsWeb.com: Crowdsourcing your genetic and cultural background

August 22, 2010August 22, 2012 by timbatchelder, posted in Digital Health, Ethnographic Methods, Health Informatics, Knowledge Management

Ancestry according to the U.S. 2000 census: Co... — Ancestry according to the U.S. 2000 census: Counties with plurality of German ancestry in light blue (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

RootsWeb.com Home Page.

Scientists Turn Digital Code into Life

May 24, 2010February 9, 2013 by timbatchelder, posted in Health Informatics, Knowledge Management

A section of DNA; the sequence of the plate-li... — A section of DNA; the sequence of the plate-like units (nucleotides) in the center carries information. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

via online.wsj.com

Okay it has finally happened. Computer science has become biology and digital DNA has been used to make the first synthetic cell. The potential applications are diverse from biofuels to medicine. But what about the risks?