‘Extra’ genetic info—too much, too quickly?
October 2013—In the 1997 film “Gattaca,” the movie-going public was introduced to a world in which biology was quite literally destiny. A world in which the probabilities encoded in one’s genome dictated virtually every aspect of one’s existence and where those found genetically wanting were relegated to society’s margins. Fortunately, genomics has so far yielded nothing so nefarious nor is it ever likely to, thanks in part to the vigorous debate that accompanies advances in genetic and genomic technologies. An example of this is the debate underway, and making medical news, among physicians, ethicists, and laboratory directors over the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics’ recommendations on the reporting of incidental findings.