A common belief of technocentrism is that if we have the ability, why not use it? The rapid advancements in genetic testing requires ongoing public awareness. Direct-to-consumer companies like 23andMe and Ancestry.com get access to users’ DNA, which is used...
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You have instant communication, on-demand entertainment, and dial-up transportation—why should you have to wait nine months to see what kind of baby you’re going to have? Now there’s an app for that.
In a modern-day reboot of Lindsay Bluth’s “Mommy What Will I Look Like” business venture, Denver-based startup HumanCode has introduced BabyGlimpse. It’s a $259 test that uses DNA from each member of a couple to predict how their future child might look and act—from skin, hair, and eye color to preferred kinds of snacks. (With a variant of the SLC2A2 gene your kiddo might have more glucose receptors than average, and therefore a sweet tooth, so goes the scientific reasoning.) Fun, right?
“We’ve coined it sunshine science,” HumanCode co-founder Jennifer Lescallet told the Balitmore Sun last month. “You get to look at the fun part of your potential future baby versus some of the scary stuff.” The scary stuff being more traditional carrier screen genetic tests, which tell couples if they have any disease-related genes they could potentially pass on to their offspring. These are...