From the NYTimes, Berkeley will give its students genetic tests.
…this year’s incoming freshmen at the University of California, Berkeley, will get something quite different: a cotton swab on which they can, if they choose, send in a DNA sample.
The university said it would analyze the samples, from inside students’ cheeks, for three genes that help regulate the ability to metabolize alcohol, lactose and folates.
Those genes were chosen not because they indicate serious health risks but because students with certain genetic markers may be able to lead healthier lives by drinking less, avoiding dairy products or eating more leafy green vegetables.
Don't be surprised if this is soon canceled.
Didn’t they mean to say students can find out if they can have more fun by finding out if they can drink more, binge on ice cream, and avoid veggies?
i’m pretty sure that is a latex formatted resume. mine is very similar. i was scared for a second that he might have ripped off my template that i ripped from someone else.
Such a rich (if self-selecting) dataset…sigh…here’s hoping they can run the tests.
Note that most of the bioethical objections raised would be eliminated by not telling the students any individual-specific results.
Didn’t they mean to say students can find out if they can have more fun by finding out if they can drink more, binge on ice cream, and avoid veggies?
This is pretty much accurate. Students who find out they can metabolize alcohol well are going to drink even more, and those who can’t are going to drink anyway because that’s what college kids do.
I don’t see an ethics problems if it’s voluntary.
Forgot to underline the words: IF THEY CHOOSE in the body of the post.
This is not a mandatory program.
You do not have to read this post if you do not choose to do so.
I recently voluntariy provided a cheek swab to the Duke-run Talent Identification Program, which I participated in a decade ago as a teenager. They claim they’re doing a study on intelligence. Here’s hoping they didn’t mislead me about anonymizing the data.
How much does it cost and who pays?
a great paln, but is necessary?
The test results will show differences among racial and ethnic groups in certain genes (such as their ability to metabolize alcohol), at which point it will be denounced and abandoned.
Is binge drinking a problem at Berkeley, as it seems to be at some
otherwise distinguished universities?
The effects of significant lacotse intolerance are palpable. Lactose-
free milk definitely costs more but the price is worth paying.
The virtues of green leafy vegetables, for anyone, are well known.
Lead healthier lives by avoiding dairy products? So milk is now bad for health?
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