[ExI] FDA Tells Google-Backed 23andMe to Halt DNA Test Service

[Brian Manning Delaney]

> Do these DNA risk factors mean anything?

Yes, they mean a lot, but are not totally determinative of risk. (though 
they are nearly so in a couple cases, like Huntington's).

> What about all the other
> genes and epigenetic factors not checked?

You mean factors that form part of what also determines risk? You tell 
us: what about them? No one is denying they exist.

> What about false positives
> and false negatives?

No technology is perfect, a claim with which 23andMe would not disagree.

> Do these tests actually work?  It is all
> unverified.

Do you mean the technology that reads the SNPs? It is most assuredly 
verified. I think the error rate is something like 1 out of 10,000 
(though I haven't looked into this, since I would never make any huge 
decisions without rerunning the analysis). But it's been studied and 
written about in peer-reviewed journals.

Brian