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This illustration shows a saliva collection kit for DNA testing displayed in Washington, D.C., on December 19th, 2018.

Social Justice

Genetic Tests Like 23andMe Promise the Moon and Stars—but What Can They Actually Tell Us?

The darker side of DNA tests reveals itself when a company overpromises their diagnostic abilities, providing an avenue for people to seek astrology-style answers to questions that should be addressed by medical experts.

Jane Hu

Detained migrants wait to be transported by U.S. Border Patrol at the border of the United States and Mexico on March 31st, 2019, in El Paso, Texas.

Why Is Border Patrol Planning to DNA Test Asylum Seekers?

The Department of Homeland Security will use the tests to identify what it calls fraudulent families. But advocates say the plan raises privacy concerns.

Jack Herrera

Social Justice

The Questionable Ethics of Expanding Forensic DNA Testing

The use of genetic information collected by private companies in criminal investigations raises a number of issues about transparency and privacy.

Benjamin Berkman

Wagner Free Institute of Science, Aye-Aye specimen in Exhibition Hall

Ideas

America’s Endangered Natural History Museums Hold the DNA Secrets of a Vanishing World

If it's true we're on the verge of a sixth extinction, these smaller collections offer crucial perspectives—and specimens—that bigger museums simply can't provide.

Colin Dickey

The Chinese Scientist Who Engineered HIV-Resistant Babies May Now Face Legal Consequences

A Chinese scientist who engineered the first gene-edited babies may now face serious charges for fraudulent practices.

Kelley Czajka

Social Justice

The Genetic Case Against Designer Babies

The science does not support the idea that we can alter a child's DNA to ensure certain health and intelligence outcomes.

A Cecile JW Janssens

DNA Diets

So far, attempts to optimize our diets based on our DNA have not panned out.

Ashley Hackett

Environment

Using DNA to Speed Up Identification of Aquatic Plants

A research team in Canada has tested the use of environmental DNA to ease the process of identifying and surveying aquatic plants.

Sue Palminteri

Joseph DeAngelo appears in court for his arraignment on April 27th, 2018, in Sacramento, California.

News in Brief

After the Golden State Killer’s Apprehension, People Are Concerned About the Privacy of Genetic Tests. They Shouldn’t Be.

The Joseph DeAngelo case has raised concerns about the privacy of data produced by consumer genetic tests. But really, law enforcement should be using DNA evidence more often.

Michael White