Hello! I have written an explainer on genome-wide association studies and genetic risk. https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2018/8/23/17527708/genetics-genome-sequencing-gwas-polygenic-risk-score … Working on this story made me feel like my brain was going to explode.
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But I wanted to get it down. Because genetic science is not slowing down. These studies are growing bigger, their conclusions more bold.
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And people, via their genetic info they obtain via 23&me or some such, are going to encounter these findings long before this science is ready for the doctors office.
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I fear there's a lot to misunderstood here (especially as some of the studies are on creepy-sounding things, like the genetics of staying in school). And we have to make sure this genetic science doesn't get turned into "genetic astrology," or something darker
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At the very least, I was taken aback of the basic science here. Our genomes are wildly wildly complicated. They are the blueprints of our biology. But the blueprint is like this crazy MC Escher drawing.
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Single parts of the genome interact with so many others in mind-bendy ways. Some of this science may look like it's in the vein of "playing god," but really, we're staring into something extremely, but beautifully, hard to understand.
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Anyway. I want to keep writing on the topic of polygenic risk, how it could change medicine, how it could be misused, what's hype, and what's not. Send me ideas! brian@vox.com
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