MyDNAChoice.com - You Are What You Want to Be

You’ve probably heard of 23andMe, the site that will test your DNA for a cool grand, telling you what diseases you may contract, from whom you inherited those baby blue eyes, and how your children may turn out. Apparently, the site has created a minor uproar leading people to go back to that old question of nature vs nurture. As part of that backlash, we now have myDNAChoice. Their goal is to prove to you that you are not merely a product of genes but a product of your environment and your human intention. In order to achieve this, myDNAChoice offers a Firefox add-on that modifies as it surfs. It’s essentially a genome of human intention or DNA of your beliefs, which according to myDNAChoice is what really matters (they cite examples of people who have killed themselves after having found out they may get such and such disease). The add on will show who you’re compatible with based on your browsing habits and the collaborative efforts of others. Ultimately, it’s supposed to make your searches easier. The price for all this? Zero, it’s completely free.

“With the recent publicity around online genetic testing services, especially 23andme, the question of whether or not our lives are predetermined is more important than ever. This information is intended to help you make an informed choice about the science you accept, the way you see the world, and ultimately what you believe about yourself.
VortexDNA has mapped the genome of human intention – the mind-DNA that predicts human characteristics. Advancing our understanding of how belief creates our world, the human intention genome opens up a new era of science and human empowerment.”

This is a much more accessible genome service than 23andMe et al. It also takes out the fatalistic edge to it all and gives you the user a chance to see how you are really shaped and made by what surrounds you and by what you yourself believe. And while it doesn’t really have a whole lot to do with genes in the end, it does spur up interest in the field, which may catalyze more research.

What real purpose does this serve, other than being a rather round about social utility/semantic search? Why turn it into a propagandistic tool propounding your free will? The end tool doesn’t really seem to have anything to do with genetics or genes. All in all its not as thought provoking as 23andMe.