The SomaLogic Blog

Your genome has been hacked! …literally. Recently, a direct-to-consumer genetic test company was hacked and information about millions of people was compromised (Thielking, 2018). In this day and age, it is not surprising when a company gets hacked. What is surprising is one of the ways a genetics company can be hacked.

The warrior king of Sparta, King Leonidas, and his small legion found themselves arrayed against an army of hundreds of thousands. Though they fought bravely until the very end, the odds and ultimately the Fates did not favor the poor king and his legion in that gory battle of Thermopylae.

As most of you know, we are all mutants. Each of us carries variations in our gene sequence that, collectively, mark us uniquely. What does it mean to have a mutation?

“Happy birthday to you…” Do these words instill incapacitating fear or unbridled joy? Children welcome them with wide open arms and with great jubilation. As people age, the enthusiasm wanes to the point of dread. Why?

So many headlines announce the latest trends and decree what is no longer in style. It is reassuring to know that someone will let me know that my favorite things, such as a beloved garment or the hairstyle that I finally mastered, are no longer stylish.

Circadian clock…biological clock…alarm clock… Face it. We are subjects to the clock whether mechanical or the one existing within us. This could not be truer than when it comes to how well we respond to medication.

We all experience life in three-dimensional space. Right now, apparently solid computer keyboard keys “click” as they recoil from the press of my fingers, while a chair beneath my rear resists the gravitational pull of our planet to keep me at the right height to reach the keyboard and eye the screen.

Did you know our blood is a big-time gossip? A little bit of it can reveal so much about you.

Face it. Despite our best intentions, bad stuff happens on occasion, as seen in the medical field. In hopes of a positive outcome, a patient undergoes treatment, but has a negative reaction. In the pursuit of “first do no harm,” more safeguards are put into place to minimize the chances of a negative outcome. As technology improves, however, we may soon have an equivalent to the bubble wrap suit, particularly in the development of new medical treatments.