Michael Arrington from TechCrunch has a very interesting post on the DNA results he got from the Google backed start-up, 23andMe. For $1000 you can get yourself tested and find out where did your ancestors come from and what diseases you have a higher risk of getting. Another thing that you can find out is whether you have the gene that gives resistance to HIV.

Pretty cool overall, though the question remains for the future, if people will start using DNA tests to decide if they get together with someone or not, or if companies will take these tests. The nasty part would be if medical insurance rates would be decided based on someone’s genetic traits and predisposition to certain diseases.

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A team of scientists from the University of Alberta announced that they discovered an inactive gene that when turned on will block HIV, preventing that person from getting the disease.

While current medication fails to address the HIV mutations, so they can’t cure it, a better solution is to use this gene to prevent HIV from spreading.

"When we put this gene in cells, it prevents the assembly of the HIV virus," said Barr, a postdoctoral fellow. "This means the virus cannot get out of the cells to infect other cells, thereby blocking the spread of the virus."

………

"This means that TRIM22 is an essential part of our body’s ability to fight off HIV. The results are very exciting because they show that our bodies have a gene that is capable of stopping the spread of HIV."

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Update: some facts about the human genome if you’re curious.

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