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I don't understand the anger and animosity at 23andme I've seen on HN lately. Maybe I'm not understanding something the way you are.

My understanding is they sequence some of your dna, and then link to various publicly available studies to show users "This paper showed this mutation correlates with this disease".

Is that not a correct description of their service? Why do you want them shut down?

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The problem is, most people aren't trained doctors. They will have no idea how to interpret the results. They will likely go waste their own doctors time worrying about everything. 23andme is preying on some peoples fears, and turning them into hypercondriacs.

The absolute vast majority of people will die from heart disease or cancer. What is the point of paying money to find that out?

Obviously there's also the privacy aspect as well - trusting your DNA to some private company who wants to make profit.

If you have a symptom, or family history of some disease, go see a doctor. That's kinda what they're there for. And they train for years in order that they can interpret results correctly.

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