Opinion
GUEST ROOM | Teaching in a Time of Crisis
|
Instructors hold tremendous power over their students’ well-being, and it’s time that they acknowledge this.
biology
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Re: ‘What’s in Your DNA?’
|
To the Editor:
While the prospect of a “free” 23andMe DNA test might help to draw students to the biology department’s “Personal Genomics and Medicine” course, The Sun’s coverage of this attraction raises far more questions than answers. The March 25 article states that the course aims to “demystify genetics and genetic science.” I’d argue that currently available genetic tests like 23andMe actually do the opposite. Instead of simply revealing a genetic blueprint to the user, direct-to-consumer genetic tests are riddled with social, political and ethical questions, turning the results into more than objective “data.”
The article briefly raises the question of privacy, but this is not enough. How are these technologies regulated? Who owns the data, and what can they do with it?