Early spitters received a beanie.
"Genealogy is a global phenomenon and ultimately we're looking at the worldwide stage." Anne Wojcicki Co-founder of biotech company 23andme, is the wife of the billionaire co-founder of Google, Sergey Brin.
"We'd like to reach 98pc of the world, that is our goal," says Wojcicki 33, and her 47-year-old business partner Linda Avey reckon their service represents the future of social networking.
In the same way that the likes of MySpace, Facebook, You Tube and Flickr allow users to share information in the shape of videos, photos or instant messaging. Wojcicki and Avey can see a time where people worldwide will share and compare their genetic details.
It only costs a thousand bucks to have the DNA test through 23andme, but the founders expect the price to drop soon. Google, the company, did make a preliminary investment in the startup company, along with some other investors, however Google is keeping "Hands Off" the operations of 23andme.
Anne Wojcicki did say that she would like to hire her husband Sergey. "We're doing our best to poach him. We've even offered to double his salary to two dollars, but so far we have not been successful in luring him away from Google."
Read all about it in the "Telegraph."
Please leave your comments below!
(unyg)
13 comments:
I'd buy stock in that company if they can penetrate 98% of the world at a thousand dollars a pop. Except, at that price I'd definitely be part of the 2%!
Steve,
That's a riot. LOL.
I want to win one of the free kits, mostly cause I want the beanie that says "I Spat"!
Thanks for commenting.
Dick
Will she be paying for the testing ?? That is really a funny and absurd comment.
Dick,
Thank you exceedingly much. I will share this. Meantime, I think you are so good, I wish you were half of some of my gene pool.
Sharon
That's 6 trillion dollars gross revenue unless they offer freebies or
discounts.
What strikes me the most is the visions of the starving poor on TV.
Wonder where they are going to find a thousand dollars?
Appears some of them in the pictures don't even have pockets.
Dick
Come to think of it wasn't it Anne that said "Let them eat cake!"?
Do we really want to go that far? How many members in a genealogical based
groups would be eliminated such as DAR, Daughters of Union Veterans of Civil
War and many others? It's a scary proposition. Although I have been tempted
at times to have it done but who has that kind of money? It would open up a
can of worms. Where would it stop? Sounds a little "Big Brotherish"
Marilyn Rowsey Dirk
DUVCW
Sr. Vice President
NY State Dept
Thank you for your excellent thoughts Marilyn.
I asked Marilyn for permission to post the previous comment that she made to one of the rootsweb mail lists and her answer is as follows on next post.
Dick Hillenbrand
Yes, You have my permission. There is another factor in DNA testing. What if they found defective hereditery genes, would they want to do away with the line? Too many grey areas to be made public. With red flags going up I think we should hold off.
My Rowsey Family has been talking about this too. Whether or not we should participate. Our line goes back to the 1600's in Virginia with many plantations with Ralph Rowsey, his mother being my 13th g grandmother is Sarah Catlett. My 13th Ggrandfather Ludwick Rowzee was her second husband. Out of her line came Zachary Taylor and James Madison. After the Civil War we had nothing. But enough of that.
I have been ask to participate on my mothers side too with her side the "Shortsleeve/Shortslef/Courtemanche" who came to North America in the 1600's and help settle New France..
Thanks for giving me the soapbox to stand on.
Marilyn
Dick,
I think it's really important to understand the difference between the kind of test this company is doing and what is done for genealogical purposes. Their test looks at the full genome and reveals medical information and more. It is useful to medical science. Genealogical testing looks only at the y-chromosome and mitochondria DNA. It reveals nothing other than the profile that is passed down from father to son or mother to daughter and son in a very non-invasive way. The DNA that is looked at is so-called junk DNA because it does nothing other than reflect the single fact that a man or woman descends from other men and women with the same very limited but distinctive DNA. The latter can be exceedingly helpful in confirming one's genealogy but does nothing more -- no medical or other personal data that can be used by anyone.
Doris
A couple of other things that came to my mind about DNA testing...
Why only 98 %? Why not 100%. Who is the 2 % not being tested? Could it be Mrs. Google co-founder and friends?
Last but not least Why does she want to do it?
Or a person could contact the Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation, that was established to use DNA for genealogical purposes, and have their DNA tested for free.
Debbie
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