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The latest news of the CNBC Disruptor50 companies upending the status quo in the markets:

A commuter on the subway or television viewer in New York may have recently been caught by this slick advertising enticement: "What will you think about when you don't have to think about money?"

That ad got us pondering this week's Food and Drug Administration crackdown on personal genetics profiler 23andMe. The FDA announced in a letter to the company Monday that after "many interactions," the regulator had no choice but to call for an immediate end to sales of 23andMe home DNA profiling kits.

The agency said that the $99 Personal Genome Service (PGS)-spit into a little cup, send away in the mail and, presto, your DNA is revealed-violates the Cosmetic Act and has no proper marketing clearance.

The FDA is worried about you.

"Some of the uses for which PGS is intended are particularly concerning, such as assessments for BRCA-related genetic risk and drug responses ... because of the potential health consequences that could result from false positive or false negative assessments for high-risk indications such as these," the letter said. "For instance, if the BRCA-related risk assessment for breast or ovarian cancer reports a false positive, it could lead a patient to undergo prophylactic surgery, chemoprevention, intensive screening or other morbidity-inducing actions, while a false negative could result in a failure to recognize an actual risk that may exist."

23andMe co-founder Anne Wojcicki had been on a public relations charm offensive of sorts in recent weeks, appe aring on CNBC, among other places. She was also the subject of profiles in magazines, including Fast Company.

In fact, you might have thought the news 23andMe was trying to get past was already in the past-maybe the recent scandal page reports about Wojcicki's marital relationship with Google co-founder Sergey Brin or headlines about 23andMe taking out a patent for designer babies.

Nope, that was all much, much, less important to the genetics testing company.

( Read more: Stealth evolution: Humans and technology merge)

Look, health is no laughing matter, and the FDA is right to have concerns-especially given the predatory history of the medical and drug industry. Yet there's a fine line between a regulator's looking out for your best interest and one being a little overly paternalistic, or just behind the times.

Regulators are often late to the game, too. After all, our financial overseers allowed Americans to sink in the financial crisis before taking any action to reform the system, but in the case of 23andMe, is the FDA too early?

Which brings us back to the ad on the subway and TVs. The advertiser was the New York State Lottery. Oh, and this past week, New Jersey also voted to approve online gambling.

So let's sum it up this way: the U.S. regulatory system has no problem with the risk gene when it comes to the poker table. In fact, combine the risk gene with the idiot gene and you can get a nice fat chunk of change for government coffers as idiots pull the slots and play the tables and foolishly believe the law-the house always wins-isn't as hard science as the number of human chromosomes. That marketing on the subway is certainly misleading-after all, what are the chances that you really won't have to worry about money ever again if you play the lottery-probably worse odds than the most rare genetic conditions.

Yet it's the deck of 46 chromosomal cards that we all have no choice but to play that is stacked against us and likely to mislead if we actually try to play them. But go right ahead and double down on blackjack. There is a time and place for the American idiot gene, and apparently, it isn't when it comes to genetics.

So, better to live and die penniless, but, still thinking you won't have to worry about money one day, than live with heightened hypochondria, or at least armed with information about your genetic profile that in consultation with a trusted medical professional, could lead you to live a healthier life-and in the aggregate could contribute to a mass genetic profile that helps medical researchers.

Look, you probably have the idiot gene. The FDA may be correct in that assessment. But why do so few other regulators covering other walks of life seem to care?

23andMe released a statement on its blog responding to the FDA letter, we assume with a slightly different argument.

( Read more: 10 surprising ways companies are using your private data)

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FDA identifies the idiot gene: 23andMe users

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Science Photo Library | TEK Image | Getty Images The latest news of the CNBC Disruptor50 companies upending the status quo in the markets: A commuter on the subway or television viewer in New York may have recently been caught by this slick advertising enticement: "What will you think about when you don't have to think about money?"

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23andMe's feature called 23andWe allowed me to share this milk indigestion problem with them. On the lactose intolerance page, I took a survey about drinking milk and checked the option: "Yes, I'm pretty sure I am [lactose intolerant]. Milk shakes are my enemy." The point? This information "could lead to major insights when combined with genetic information from the 23andMe database," the Web site read. I wished for a moment that all this educational material had been available when I was taking genetics in high school. I clicked on the section "Genetics 101" and watched one of the animated videos: A banana has 11 pairs of chromosomes, one video said. The side dish of ancestry information enabled me to trace my maternal line back 35,000 years.

When it comes to pinning down your risk of more complex diseases, it's a bit challenging for someone of mixed ethnicity. You have the option to pick only one ethnicity. So when I clicked on European, the results didn't quite match up to what I saw when I clicked on Asian. My risk for type 2 diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis was both low and high, depending on which ethnicity I chose. So what happens when you're both, like me? I printed out the discrepancies to ask the 23andMe founders in person.

After going to Navigenics in January, I went to 23andMe. I took a 10-minute cab ride to 23andMe's office, enjoying the Silicon Valley scene: the smell of fresh air, suburban tree-lined streets, bikers in spandex on their way to work, and men in suits standing on street corners with laptop bags in hand. I entered 23andMe's nondescript building and waited in the lobby, playing with the toys there: fingers flashing red lights, pins that say "I spat," and stress balls on the coffee table. Sweaty employees jogged down the stairs in their gym clothes, returning from personal training sessions and making their way to a kitchen stocked full of snacks.

One of the cofounders of 23andMe, Linda Avey, told me the company wants to create the world's largest database of DNA information. Glad I helped contribute to their plans for world (DNA) domination, I found myself thinking. What is halting progress is the lack of people involved in genetic studies, not the technology, Avey said. By translating thousands of scientific discoveries and interpreting what the discoveries mean to an individual, they hope to "break down the barriers between the general public and what is going on in academic science," she explained.

The idea of starting 23andMe evolved out of cubicle chatter. Avey had thought about collecting people's DNA when she was working at her former job. She'd sit around with coworkers and talk about how great it would be if "we had more genetic information on more people so that we could learn more about why people get a disease." At this point Anne Wojcicki, cofounder of 23andMe, entered our conversation full of energy. Wojcicki's interest began when she was working in the biotech investment field. "All this money goes into research, and very little comes out of it," she said. "One of the biggest challenges is getting enough data." Getting more data means more people will have to spit. Google has bought into this notion: So far, the company has invested $3.9 million in 23andMe and an undisclosed amount in Navigenics. (Google's cofounder, Sergey Brin, is married to Wojcicki.)

Frustration over mounds of genetic information never making it out of genetic research cliques is understandable, but I had my own frustration to address. You get the best results if you are of European descent. I told the founders I was an Asian-European mix, and when I clicked on the different options on the Web site, I got conflicting results. I wanted to know why. "Research needs to go a significant step further," Wojcicki admitted. "23andMe's goal is to advance genetics research in this area. So 12 months from now, when you're logging on to the site every day, we hope the data is more reflective of your [ethnic] background."

Later that night in my hotel room, I logged on to my 23andMe account. I noticed a new addition to the FAQs; it was about mixed ethnic backgrounds. So I clicked on it: "Because genetic association studies are generally performed in populations of a particular ethnic background [European, Asian, African], we cannot know whether the associations will also apply to those of a mixed background.... Feel free to look at the different incidence estimates the 23andMe Odds Calculator provides for different ethnicities, but take the estimates with even more grains of salt than usual."

DeCODEme
Like any good medical consumer, I got a third opinion. DeCODE genetics is known for discovering genetic risk factors for type 2 diabetes, early-onset heart attack, and breast cancer, among others. For this unscientific reason alone, I decided to use the company's test-named deCODEme-to validate the other two.

I bought the test for a dollar-the best dollar I've ever spent. Normally it costs $985. (I gave in to temptation and accepted the reporter's discount.) A few days later, I received my "buccal DNA collector" in the mail. By popping this stick in and out of my mouth for two minutes, I collected cheek cells-certainly a nice change from spitting. I mailed my sample off to deCODE genetics' in-house testing lab in Reykjavík, Iceland.

There's something to be said for taking a test three times. Seeing my genetic risks displayed online seemed perfectly normal now-just as normal as checking my e-mail. When I received a message in my in-box telling me that my analysis was ready, I signed on to my deCODEme account to view my results. First I adjusted the settings to my sex and age and even checked an option to say please contact me if there's a chance to participate in genetic research. I had to pick Asian or European-again, no dual ethnic function existed. Finally I explored the 29 diseases and traits available at my fingertips.

First I pretended to be fully Asian and saw that I was at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, colorectal cancer, and rheumatoid arthritis. Next I was a European female.This time I was at risk for age-related macular degeneration, atrial fibrillation, rheumatoid arthritis, and Crohn's disease. Yikes.

The CEO of deCODE genetics, Kári Stefánsson, interpreted my results for me. It is not the norm to have the CEO look at your results. Usually you'd receive your results online, and it would largely be up to you to interpret them for yourself. Stefánsson is the famous gene hunter who spearheaded the effort that mapped 65 percent of Iceland's genome. I printed out my two summary reports-the Asian and the European-for him to look at.

I walked from my office to meet Stefánsson in the lobby of his hotel in Manhattan. Dressed all in black, he intimidated me. It wasn't because at 6 foot 5 he towered over me or that he made fun of my wimpy handshake. What intimidated me was his confidence. If there were such a thing as a preacher for genetic testing, Stefánsson would be converting a lot of people. But after talking to him for hours, I realized Stefánsson was a lighthearted, matter-of-fact, all-around amazing guy-someone you'd invite to a dinner party to guarantee interesting conversation.

"There's a paradigm shift from intervention to preventive medicine as we speak," he said. "It happened when people started to download information about diseases. This didn't happen before. Doctors used to be omnipotent; no one ever questioned them." Knowledge is power.

I asked him to read my genetic horoscope. He looked at the European results first.

"You're at high risk for developing atrial fibrillation, so cut back on how much alcohol and coffee you drink," he said, ever so calmly. A person with atrial fibrillation has irregular heartbeats that can cause blood clots and lead to strokes. "The biggest alarm here is the possibility of developing macular degeneration." I know I've mentioned this before, but seriously, I'm at risk of going blind in, like, 35 years. And that worries me, since I can't see crap without my glasses now.

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How Much Can You Learn From a Home DNA Test?

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23andMe's feature called 23andWe allowed me to share this milk indigestion problem with them. On the lactose intolerance page, I took a survey about drinking milk and checked the option: "Yes, I'm pretty sure I am [lactose intolerant]. Milk shakes are my enemy." The point?

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Founded by Anne Wojcicki, Linda Avey, Paul Cusenza in 2006, 23andMe launched its Personal Genome Service® a year later. 23andMe's mission is to help people access, understand and benefit from the human genome.

Based in Mountain View, California, the company currently employs well over 400 people and ships its product to more than 50 countries worldwide.

The Meaning Behind the Name
The name 23andMe refers to the fact that human DNA is organized into 23 pairs of chromosomes. 23andMe connects individuals to their unique, paired set of 23 chromosomes.
Big Data
23andMe has more than 5,000,000 customers.

More than 80 percent of our customers have opted-in to participate in our research.

To date, the company has collected one billion phenotypic data points (individual survey responses).

On average, one individual contributes to 200 different research studies.

To date, 23andMe has published more than 90 peer-reviewed studies in scientific journals.

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Founded by Anne Wojcicki, Linda Avey, Paul Cusenza in 2006, 23andMe launched its Personal Genome Service® a year later. 23andMe's mission is to help people access, understand and benefit from the human genome. Based in Mountain View, California, the company currently employs well over 400 people and ships its product to more than 50 countries worldwide.

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After I showed my mom the pros of the company I asked for her thoughts and she replied by stating that she thought it was a great idea and she could see how that would help people change their lifestyle. I then proceeded to show her the cons of the company which in my opinion far outweighed the benefits her response was that she thought that like many things it had its advantages as well as it disadvantages she didn't like the fact that money and politics could cloud the company's judgement. I asked her if she would buy one and she said she would have to do more research

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PRO

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Muslim Cousins Marry Each Other and Produce Inbreds

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What are the odds of one Smolenyak marrying another Smolenyak? And if that happened, what are the odds that they were related - kissing cousins of some sort? Well, Megan Smolenyak did marry another Smolenyak, and used DNA testing to answer the obvious question: Did she marry her cousin?

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If the results come back with high chances of inheriting terrible diseases, it ends up being a mind game.

This mind game starts to play with the person's mind. So this person will start to stress about getting

a horrible disease that this leads to this person actually catching the disease, because this person's mind

subconsciously played games on how her body was functioning. It pretty much told her body to get that disease

because she was thinking on it too much and boosted up her chances higher than it already was.

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http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/EnforcementActions/WarningLetters/2013/ucm376296.htm

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Pro

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Pro

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Con

http://www.cnbc.com/id/101229491

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My mom said she would take the test because she could use the possible risk factors provided to her by the results to change herself and live a healthier lifestyle. However, my dad said he wouldn't take the test because he felt that the test sounded like a scam and that it wouldn't provide factual information about a person's DNA.

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Con

http://www.forbes.com/fdc/welcome_mjx_mobile.html

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My mom has a fear that if tested positive for certain diseases it might make it hard to get medical insurance.

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CON D:

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By Donald Zuhn --

A patent issued to 23andMe, Inc. last month has created some controversy, and in response, the biotech company, based in Mountain View, California, has posted its side of the story on the 23andMe blog. The patent, U.S. Patent No. 8,543,339, which is entitled "Gamete donor selection based on genetic calculations," is directed to a system for identifying a preferred gamete donor from among the plurality of donors based on a phenotype of interest, the genotype of a recipient, and the genotypes of the donors. The patent contains three independent claims, which recite a system, method, and non-transitory computer program product for gamete donor selection:

1. A system for gamete donor selection comprising:
one or more processors configured to:
receive a specification including a phenotype of interest that can be present in a hypothetical offspring;
receive a genotype of a recipient and a plurality of genotypes of a respective plurality of donors;
determine statistical information including probabilities of observing the phenotype of interest resulting from different combinations of the genotype of the recipient and genotypes of the plurality of donors; and
identify a preferred donor among the plurality of donors, based at least in part on an evaluation of the statistical information determined, including:
to compare the probabilities of observing the phenotype of interest resulting from different combinations of the genotype of the recipient and the genotypes of the plurality of donors to identify the preferred donor; and
a memory coupled to the processor, configured to provide the processor with instructions.

11. A method for gamete donor selection, comprising:
receiving a specification including a phenotype of interest that can be present in a hypothetical offspring;
receiving a genotype of a recipient and a plurality of genotypes of a respective plurality of donors;
using one or more computer processors coupled to one or more memories configured to provide the one or more computer processors with instructions to determine statistical information including probabilities of observing the phenotype of interest resulting from different combinations of the genotype of the recipient and genotypes of the plurality of donors; and
identifying a preferred donor among the plurality of donors, based at least in part on the statistical information determined, including:
comparing the probabilities of observing the phenotype of interest resulting from different combinations of the genotype of the recipient and the genotypes of the plurality of donors to identify the preferred donor.

21. A non-transitory computer program product for gamete donor selection, the computer program product being embodied in a computer readable storage medium and comprising computer instructions for:
receiving a specification including a phenotype of interest that can be present in a hypothetical offspring;
receiving a genotype of a recipient and a plurality of genotypes of a respective plurality of donors;
determining statistical information including probabilities of observing the phenotype of interest resulting from different combinations of the genotype of the recipient and genotypes of the plurality of donors; and
identifying a preferred donor among the plurality of donors, based at least in part on an evaluation of the statistical information determined, including:
comparing the probabilities of observing the phenotype of interest resulting from different combinations of the genotype of the recipient and the genotypes of the plurality of donors to identify the preferred donor.

The detailed description of the '339 patent states that:

The gamete donors and gamete recipient's genetic information such as genome sequences and/or marker information is obtained and stored. In some embodiments, the recipient is allowed to make a specification of one or more phenotypes of interest in the hypothetical offspring. Statistical information pertaining to the likelihood of observing phenotypes of interest are determined, based on the genotype of the recipient and the genotypes of different donors. For example, probabilities of the phenotypes of interest in the hypothetical offspring resulting from different recipient-donor combinations are computed. Based on the statistical information, one or more preferred donors are identified and optionally selected by the recipient.

According to the '339 patent, one embodiment of the invention is disclosed in Figure 4 (below), which shows "a user interface for making [a] user specification and displaying the results," in which "the recipient has specified that she prefers low risk of colorectal cancer and congenital heart defects equally, and to a lesser degree she also prefers green eye color." The '339 patent discloses that based on the user specification, a donor selection process is performed, and "the results page shows preferred donors A, B, and C, [wherein] the statistical distributions of the desired genotypes of the hypothetical child resulting from the combinations of the recipient and the donor, as well as an optional score calculated based on the statistical distribution are displayed."

In the wake of the '339 patent's issuance, 23andMe has been criticized for its efforts to secure patent protection on a method of creating "designer babies." A commentary regarding the "controversial patent" appeared in the journal Genetics in Medicine last week (Sterckx et al., " I prefer a child with . . .": designer babies, another controversial patent in the arena of direct-to-consumer genomics," Genetics in Medicine (October 3, 2013)).

Possibly anticipating a backlash (the Genetics in Medicine commentary was submitted for publication two weeks before the '339 patent issued), 23andMe posted an article on its blog one week after the patent issued. The article, entitled " A 23andMe Patent," notes that the company had "applied [for the patent] more than five years ago," and that the patent relates to one of the tools 23andMe offers to individuals "as part of their genetic exploration." The article points out that:

The tool -- Family Traits Inheritance Calculator -- offers an engaging way for you and your partner to see what kind of traits your child might inherit from you. The Family Trait Inheritance Calculator has also been part of our service since 2009 and is used by our customers as a fun way to look at such things as what eye color their child might have or if their child will be able to perceive bitter taste or be lactose intolerant.

The article indicates that "[w]hen 23andMe applied for the patent (#8543339) it was meant to cover the technology that supports our Family Traits Inheritance Calculator," but acknowledges that "the language of the patent extends beyond the calculator and so we want to be very clear about our technology and our intentions." In particular, the article explains that:

At the time 23andMe filed the ['339] patent, there was consideration that the technology could have potential applications for fertility clinics so language specific to the fertility treatment process was included in the patent. But much has evolved in that time, including 23andMe's strategic focus. The company never pursued the concepts discussed in the patent beyond our Family Traits Inheritance Calculator, nor do we have any plans to do so.

The Genetics in Medicine commentary will be discussed in a subsequent post.

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By Donald Zuhn -- A patent issued to 23andMe, Inc. last month has created some controversy, and in response, the biotech company, based in Mountain View, California, has posted its side of the story on the 23andMe blog. The patent, U.S. Patent No.

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PRO :D

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Find out how you can help find a cure: www.23andme.com/pd Muhammad Ali inspires the world to join 23andMe, a leading personal genetics company that is changing the face of Parkinson's Research. Video produced by 23andMe and Elliott Kennerson/Boze Angeles Productions. Photos courtesy of Michael Gaffney, author of The Champ: My Year with Muhammad Ali.

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My mom said it wouldn't hurt to know more about your genes and what kind of diseases

that you might get. She also said she is aware that even though the records are just

associations, she knows that I will make the best judgement based off my knowledge of

my own body. My mom isn't against me getting the 23andme test if I want to, but it's

going to come out of my own pocket!

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Nina: io9: We Come From The ... : Science Scams: Bad Science, Bad People 

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Nina: io9: We Come From The ... : Science Scams: Bad Science, Bad People 

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CON D:

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Subscribe to io9's We Come From The Future here: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=io9futureshow We take a look at the shady side of science, and talk about some of our favorite scientist con artists. Plus we talk to UC Berkeley biologist Gary Karpen about what you can really get out of online genetic testing services and what you don't!

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PRO :D