Book Review: Here is a Human Being: At the Dawn of Personal Genomics by Misha Angrist
Review by Tina Hesman Saey
By Science News
Genetics isn’t just a dry, academic pursuit — it’s getting personal. In Here is a Human Being, Angrist, a geneticist, introduces people who have already started living in what he calls the DNA Age. They include Angrist himself, who is one of 10 volunteers in a Harvard project that will publicly post participants’ DNA blueprints online along with personal information such as medical records, personality traits and pictures.
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The title suggests an exploration of Angrist’s genome, but in fact, the book is just as much about the pioneers of personal genomics. Angrist covers the rise and decline of genetic-testing companies and the technology that makes knowing your own genetic makeup possible. He also explores the privacy concerns and other ethical questions that arise whenever DNA comes into the equation.