A new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) encourages researchers to give back data to the people whose DNA samples produced it in the first place. Continue reading →

In an FDA-backed move, the genetic test kit, 23andMe, will be able to notify its customers of any possible mutations in the breast cancer genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2. According to 23andMe, it is the “first-ever FDA authorization for a direct-to-consumer genetic test for cancer risk.”

Previously, the genetic testing company was only able to test for Bloom syndrome, and to offer risk reports for some conditions like Alzheimer’s, Celiac Disease, and Parkinson’s Disease.

23andMe does include information on its limited ability – to detect only three variants of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes out of more than a thousand that are known to increase cancer risk. Therefore, 23andMe urges users who do test positive to contact a medical professional for retesting in an actual clinical laboratory. The company is now the only one able to generate genetic health risk reports for consumers without a prescription or doctor’s note.

A group of scientists, musicians, engineers, and artists have created Biota Beats, a project that translates human microbiota into hip hop music. The group was originally inspired to start the project for a synthetic biology competition called iGEM in 2016.

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