snips to the people

Personal genome sequencing has arrived in Europe, as I learned from this Guardian report this week. The company 23andme offers analysis of SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms, i.e. the 1-letter differences in DNA that are a part of what makes each of us unique) for some medical information and the chance to compare DNA with other customers and possibly find out something about your genetic origins. Participation costs GBP 500, apparently, so I'm not very tempted to try it out. I would do it if there was a free trial for science writers ...