-
- Focus
-
23andMe: a genetic Facebook
- 30/04/2012
Putting genomics in the hands of regular consumers
BrendanLim, Creative commons (2012) ©Scope
For a couple of drops of saliva and a few hundred dollars, US-based genomics business 23andMe will extract your DNA and screen it for thousands of genetic disease markers. Some commentators are heralding the business as not only the future of medicine, but the future of self-discovery. Others argue that this is a vision of the future that is far from coming to fruition. Nevertheless, since launching in 2007, the company has processed 150,000 paying customers' DNA and continues to grow. Whatever it is that 23andMe is selling, it's selling well. -
Focus: Latest
-
Other articles
-
Chris Hadfield: reinventing the role model
23/05/2013
The boundaries of the world's frontiers are diminishing. Astronaut Chris Hadfield used his online presence during his time on the ISS to let the public discover the wonders of space.
-
YouTube goes live with Comedy Week
22/05/2013
Combining old and new media stars with plenty of hype, can YouTube Comedy Week close the gap between internet success and its equivalent in the mainstream media?
-
Leftover profits: Rubies in the Rubble
21/05/2013
Each year, almost half of the world's food is thrown away. Putting it to wider social and commercial use, start-up Rubies in the Rubble makes gourmet chutneys from surplus fruit and veg.
-
Target brings Facebook users in-store
20/05/2013
As e-commerce expands, brands are rethinking their business models to cater to shifting consumer habits. Cartwheel is a collaboration between US retail titan Target and Facebook.
-
BT Sport: from broadband to broadcast
16/05/2013
Broadcast and broadband are increasingly fused, and while BSkyB hopes to eat into BT's broadband market share, BT is responding by moving into BSkyB's turf: television.
-
Dornbracht: the rise of the spa bathroom
15/05/2013
Applying 'smart' technology in fresh and innovative ways, Dornbracht's Smart Water seamlessly connects bathroom components while providing a plethora of customisation options.
-
Makr Shakr: bottom-up bar culture
14/05/2013
As technological advancements increasingly place power in the hands of consumers, conceptual bar Makr Shakr is providing a taste of the foreseeable future.
-
SmartThings: integrating physical and digital lives
13/05/2013
SmartThings enables true human-computer interaction by ensuring that everything we own – electronic and otherwise – is part of the conversation.
-
