China’s Genetics Giant Wants to Tailor Medicine to Your DNA (Bloomberg) (Archive)
BGI is racing toward a world where your DNA informs your medical decisions—and maybe some of your personal ones. Things could get weird.
"There are limits to what Wang says he’s prepared to contemplate. The company, he points out, is no longer studying the genetic origins of intelligence. But he suggests that, if researchers are able to truly identify genes that produce smarts, a Gattaca-esque push for designer babies is probably inevitable, especially in ultracompetitive China, where there’s already a robust market for genetic tests that supposedly gauge innate talent for math or music. BGI has no plans to help parents customize their offspring, but “there’s lots of people who want to do it,” Wang says. “People never stop searching for interesting things.” Unless, that is, someone stops them."
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