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On Jan. 24, 2026, the New York Times reported that DNA sequences contributed by children and families to support a federal effort to understand adolescent brain development were later co-opted by other researchers and used to publish “race science” claims about intelligence.
The story is jolting not only because the misuse of the data was in bad faith, potentially racist and stigmatizing, but also because it violates a basic expectation each family brings to research participation: That their child’s DNA will be safeguarded and used, per their consent, to help other children thrive.
The Times report arrives as genomic research has become increasingly routine. Over the past two decades, the cost and speed of generating genetic data have improved dramatically, making it feasible to collect DNA at scale. Scientists use these datasets to advance public-health goals, including how biology and the environment interact in real life. The ABCD Study highlighted by the Times was designed to examine these relationships by following a large cohort of children.
Precisely because so much genetic data is now collected, stored, and shared, the ...