The Genome's Big Data Problem

Medicine will be revolutionised in the 21st century, thanks largely to our increasing understanding and collection of genetic data.

Genetic data is information pertaining to part or all of your genome: the DNA structure that makes you you. This is translated into a massive string of letters—approximately six billion characters in length—that can reveal all sorts of things about you.

Thanks to the rise of genome sequencing, prescription medicines could end up being tailored towards individuals, increasing the drugs' effectiveness and minimising their side effects. Treatments could be developed for previously resilient diseases thanks to greater information available for research. It could even be possible to predict how predisposed infants are to various conditions as they grow up.

One program already using genetic data is the Personal Genome Project (PGP), an open call to those who wish to contribute to scientific research. If someone decides to participate in the project, they naturally have to sign a consent form—but it's not as easy as blindly clicking ‘I have read and agree to the Terms and Conditions.’ The New York Times reported that participants need to pass a test...