Mapping the human genome in it's entirety for the first time was an enormous project seven years ago, costing about 3 billion US dollars in total. Today, researchers at the Delft University of Technology and Oxford University may have found a way to have your genome mapped for only a few hundred Euros. This involves the use of a new device called a nanopore, which is described as a "minute hole" which can "'read' information from a single molecule of DNA as it threads through the hole." Apparently it works by applying an electrical charge on it, which allows it to pull DNA molecules individually. It is then read similar to how "music is read from an old cassette tape as it is threaded through a player."
While this technology is obviously meant to improve lives by allowing for early treatment to any predisposed diseases or conditions a person may contract, there are consequences as well. Unfortunately, this information can be used against you if it's not kept completely confidential. For example, insurance companies can determine whether or not to provide coverage depending on how genetically predisposed you are to any kind of disease. Hopefully there will be a solution for this problem once this practice starts to take off in the future.
Source [The Science Daily]
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