 |
Science Fiction
Dictionary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
|
 |
'Spit Parties:' Social Networking Gattaca-Style
Spit parties will soon be all the rage among upscale New Yorkers, according to genetic testing firm 23andMe.
Here's how it works: At the party, you are presented with a small vial with an attached funnel. While salivating over party hors d'oeuvres, you gracefully expectorate a small volume of genetic material into the small vial. This material is then submitted to the testing company, which, for just $399, performs a DNA analysis. A month or so later, you receive the results.

(Spit Party just getting started)
You might be surprised at the variety of information available. 23andMe claims to provide information about more than 80 diseases, conditions and traits that might describe you. In addition, information about your genetic heritage, including the continental origins of your line, utilizing the latest research. The company claims to fund the genotyping of more than 50 ethnic groups worldwide to make sure that a diverse population is used for comparison.
Even better, customers are encouraged to share their results via their online datasheets. Your data is rigorously protected with encryption and regular security audits, which should help a lot after you've shared it with Paris, Britney's mom and the rest of your friends.

(Spit Party data presentation)
It's too bad that this information can't be made available quicker, like maybe the very night of the party. If somebody can come up with immediate automated DNA typing, that might be possible.
The ability of companies to perform checks of your DNA that give details on possible medical conditions and other traits you have, along with your ancestry, combined with the encouraged social setting, is uncomfortably close to the milieu from the movie Gattica.

(Gattaca: Can the imperfect mix socially with the perfect?)
In the film, social strata and work relationships are strictly organized along genetic lines; the people whose DNA is found to be "perfect" are discouraged from socializing with people whose DNA doesn't measure up.
Once hooked on genetic insight into yourself and your friends, you might want to subscribe to their classy blog the Spittoon for the latest information.
From 23andMe.com via NYTimes. Thanks also to Moira for submitting her material on this story.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 9/17/2008)
Follow this kind of news @Technovelgy.
| Email | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit |
Would
you like to contribute a story tip?
It's easy:
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add
it here.
Comment/Join discussion ( 1 )
Related News Stories -
("
Medical
")
Brain Implant Is Able To Capture Your Inner Dialogue
'So you see, you can hide nothing from me.'
'Pregnancy Humanoids' From China Replace Moms
'A great many of these synthetic babies were made...' - David H. Keller, 1928.
Bacteria Turns Plastic Into Pain Relief? That Gives Me An Idea.
'I guess there's nobody round this table who doesn't have a Crosswell [tapeworm] working for him in the small intestine.'
Heart Patches Grown In The Lab Repair Hearts
I'm hoping that this procedure becomes a normal part of medical practice!
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!)
is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for
the Invention Category that interests
you, the Glossary, the Invention
Timeline, or see what's New.
|
 |
Science Fiction
Timeline
1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's 1950's
1960's 1970's
1980's 1990's
2000's 2010's
Current News
Chrysalis Generation Ship to Alpha Centauri
'This was their world, their planet —
this swift-traveling, yet seemingly moveless vessel.'
Alexa+ And Its AI Brain Improvements
'What's it do?' he asked. 'It amuses.'
Does CloneRobotics Offer A True Android?
Is this What Little Girls Are Made Of?
Brain Implant Is Able To Capture Your Inner Dialogue
'So you see, you can hide nothing from me.'
Are AIs Going Rogue Like Hal 9000
'I know that you and Frank were planning to disconnect me...'
Animated Tumblebugs On Astounding Cover!
'Gaines and Harvey mounted tumblebugs, and kept abreast of the Cadet Captain...'
LingYuan Vehicle Roof Drones Now Available, ala Blade Runner 2049
Accompanied by a small selection of similar ideas from science fiction.
China Steals Strato Airship Design From Google App Engine
'...war-balloons, or, as it would be more correct to call them, navigable aerostats.'
The First Space Warship For Space Force
'Each of the electrical ships carried about twenty men...'
Biohybrid Jellyfish Explore The Ocean
As predicted, and detailed, by science fiction writers!
Should AIs and AI Robots Demand Rights?
'This robot is a creature... It is a manlike being. Therefore, like any other talking, thinking man, he is entitled to a court trial!'
Robot Learns Human Tool Usage By Imitation Learning
'I got one of those new electronic cameras...'
Companion Caregiver ChatGPT Dolls
'Every Artificial Friend is unique, right?'
'Pregnancy Humanoids' From China Replace Moms
'A great many of these synthetic babies were made...'
Man Builds 200 Foot Basement Firing Range
'The basement was huge... carved deep into the rock.'
Russians Create Robot Tank Platoons
'The remotely-operated robot tank is an old idea...'
More SF in the News Stories
More Beyond Technovelgy science news stories
|
 |