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DNA Nation: How the Internet of Genes is Changing Your Life
"An indispensable resource for understanding the complex world of over-the-counter genetic testing ... the impressive book explores territory that is both easy to understand and enlightening."---Kirkus Review
"Highly important, life-changing and delightfully written...[Pistoi] is pulling the rug out from under many of our preconceptions...with continuous wit and humor. A book which indeed demands to be savored."--- Paul Levinson, author of The Silk Code and The Plot to Save Socrates
Millions of people have done it: with a few clicks and some spit, and at less than the cost of a fancy dinner, you can buy a reading of your DNA online. With this in hand, you can find out where you came from, trace relatives around the world and find new friends on a genetic social network. You can learn about your predisposition to disease, get a genetically tailored diet, understand the sports to which you or your children might be more suited, and even find a date. It’s the dawn of consumer genomics, where the progress of biology meets the power of the Internet and big data.
But do these applications work? Can we really prevent diseases based on what we read in our DNA? What do scientists say? And do we really understand the implications? What happens if things go wrong and the data is misused or the trust abused?
Sergio Pistoi, a journalist and a DNA scientist, investigated this brave new world first-hand by interrogating his own genes, and has provided a practical, informative and thought-provoking survival guide to home genetic testing. From medicine to food, from social networking to genealogy and advertising, this book will show you how the DNA revolution is beginning to have such a profound impact on our daily lives and privacy and why it will influence the choices we make.
If you are interested in how social media meets cutting-edge science, and what it means for your life, or if you are considering buying a DNA test, then this is the book for you.
"Highly important, life-changing and delightfully written...[Pistoi] is pulling the rug out from under many of our preconceptions...with continuous wit and humor. A book which indeed demands to be savored."--- Paul Levinson, author of The Silk Code and The Plot to Save Socrates
Millions of people have done it: with a few clicks and some spit, and at less than the cost of a fancy dinner, you can buy a reading of your DNA online. With this in hand, you can find out where you came from, trace relatives around the world and find new friends on a genetic social network. You can learn about your predisposition to disease, get a genetically tailored diet, understand the sports to which you or your children might be more suited, and even find a date. It’s the dawn of consumer genomics, where the progress of biology meets the power of the Internet and big data.
But do these applications work? Can we really prevent diseases based on what we read in our DNA? What do scientists say? And do we really understand the implications? What happens if things go wrong and the data is misused or the trust abused?
Sergio Pistoi, a journalist and a DNA scientist, investigated this brave new world first-hand by interrogating his own genes, and has provided a practical, informative and thought-provoking survival guide to home genetic testing. From medicine to food, from social networking to genealogy and advertising, this book will show you how the DNA revolution is beginning to have such a profound impact on our daily lives and privacy and why it will influence the choices we make.
If you are interested in how social media meets cutting-edge science, and what it means for your life, or if you are considering buying a DNA test, then this is the book for you.
264 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 14, 2019
About the author
Sergio Pistoi
4 books6 followersSergio Pistoi is a science writer and an award-winning book author with a PhD in molecular biology. His journalistic credits include Scientific American, Reuters, the New Scientist, The Lancet, Nature, RAI and many others. Sergio’s book, “Il DNA incontra Facebook” (2012), a narrative non-fiction about the rise of genetic social networking, was awarded the Galileo Award in Italy in 2013. When he's not at his desk, he is on a conference tour or diving.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 23, 2021
Pistoi’s book is entertaining and written in a way a layman can usually understand. Genomic research has become a big thing. Although most consumers of the kits (called spitters in this book) are using the information for personal interest in ancestry research, there are other applications such as assessing health risks, infidelity testing (very popular and cheaper than hiring a private eye), and police use to search for criminals, etc.
The reader finds out a creepier side as well. Should we worry about invasion of privacy by big pharma, genetic identity thieves, and big brother? The kit companies make their money not from us spitters, but medical and pharmaceutical research companies that they share information with. It was discovered in 2010 via Wikileaks that when Hillary Clinton was head of the US State Department there were plans in place for stealing genetic material (possibly used cups, cigarettes, etc.) from certain world leaders. It is not known what was to be done with the results, but…
Pistoi sums up the book with suggestions on how to pick your genetic research company and how to best keep your profile secure. Without spreading paranoia the book covers a lot. Now you can go back to watching that movie that is all about dystopian genetics—Gattaca!
The reader finds out a creepier side as well. Should we worry about invasion of privacy by big pharma, genetic identity thieves, and big brother? The kit companies make their money not from us spitters, but medical and pharmaceutical research companies that they share information with. It was discovered in 2010 via Wikileaks that when Hillary Clinton was head of the US State Department there were plans in place for stealing genetic material (possibly used cups, cigarettes, etc.) from certain world leaders. It is not known what was to be done with the results, but…
Pistoi sums up the book with suggestions on how to pick your genetic research company and how to best keep your profile secure. Without spreading paranoia the book covers a lot. Now you can go back to watching that movie that is all about dystopian genetics—Gattaca!
December 18, 2019
Good information, engaging writing style. I especially enjoyed learning about the discovery of the PTC tasting gene. As a biology teacher I had classes do the PTC tasting investigation, but had not heard this “origin” story. This book would be a good read for biology teachers.
December 23, 2019
This is such an informative book. If you have done a DNA kit it is a must read. If you are interested in the DNA and the Human Genome Project it is a must read. The author writes in easy reading style. This would also be a great gift for someone interested in DNA and genealogy.
January 20, 2024
For the millions of us who have spit in a bottle and sent out saliva off to get a DNA analysis, this book is extremely helpful. A major focus is on privacy and who gets to know the results of your test. Privacy is key here and for this reason alone, this book is very valuable. I have always wondered about those folks who want to know who is in their family based on DNA. I decided against this. It just sounded to me like an invitation by someone from Hole-in-the-Road, Oklahoma, to show up and declare that they are in your family. “And oh, by the way, can I borrow some money?”
The book very importantly addresses a number of issues related to understanding what exactly DNA is, and what exactly is legitimately a source of a number of personal characteristics. Just because your grandfather and father were cowboys doesn’t mean it’s in your DNA to be a cowboy. In other words, the characteristics of one’s culture and society are often determinants of one’s behavior, as are what a person has learned from his family when growing up. And there are those characteristics that are a mix of DNA and culture/society.
Pistoi goes off the rails only infrequently, but he did so on the topic of “DNA tailored marketing.” He describes an Aeromexico campaign to give Americans the largest flight discounts to those with the most Mexican heritage based on their DNA. He says the ad campaign “exposed an uncomfortable, statistical truth: the population of the Southwestern US are typically prejudiced against Mexicans and support anti-immigration policies, but also have the highest percentage of people with Mexican ancestry.” This is absolutely ludicrous. The Southwest is my home, and I can say for sure that “the population” is not “typically prejudiced against Mexicans.” A person’s view of immigration is far more complicated that some sort of DNA dictate. Despite this one faux pas, the book is very valuable.
The book very importantly addresses a number of issues related to understanding what exactly DNA is, and what exactly is legitimately a source of a number of personal characteristics. Just because your grandfather and father were cowboys doesn’t mean it’s in your DNA to be a cowboy. In other words, the characteristics of one’s culture and society are often determinants of one’s behavior, as are what a person has learned from his family when growing up. And there are those characteristics that are a mix of DNA and culture/society.
Pistoi goes off the rails only infrequently, but he did so on the topic of “DNA tailored marketing.” He describes an Aeromexico campaign to give Americans the largest flight discounts to those with the most Mexican heritage based on their DNA. He says the ad campaign “exposed an uncomfortable, statistical truth: the population of the Southwestern US are typically prejudiced against Mexicans and support anti-immigration policies, but also have the highest percentage of people with Mexican ancestry.” This is absolutely ludicrous. The Southwest is my home, and I can say for sure that “the population” is not “typically prejudiced against Mexicans.” A person’s view of immigration is far more complicated that some sort of DNA dictate. Despite this one faux pas, the book is very valuable.
January 25, 2020
Informative and entertaining. A great and easy-to-read popular science book on what we can do with our DNA. Also a useful guide for those who are buying a DNA kit, or are planning to do so.
January 25, 2020
Estremamente interessante anche per chi è del settore.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews