I believe that this sort of info could be used for some good.
People with a terrible family medical history of, for example, early onset dementia, cancers that run in families, or heart or kidney disease, could find out before they are at the age of onset.

They could then do something to help prevent it happening, for example, removing breasts, uterus, prostate gland etc before they are diseased.
It may well save lives.

I don't believe it should be available for anyone who asks for the tests though, because it may cause mass panic!

I've heard the interpretation of the automatic propensity toward disease based on DNA alone is basically incorrect.

For example, take the so-called breast cancer gene. There may be a measureable amount of breast cancer victims that have that gene (but it's actually not overwhelmingly significant) but there may also be a vast number of people who carry the same gene that will never develop breast cancer.

Therefore not everyone who has the gene will be guaranteed to develop the disease. There has be be an external factor (probably environmental) that "switches the gene on" and this may never be determined.

Much of this research seems to be a way of justifying Insurance companies to apply premiums for coverage. Will they provide a discount for those who carry none of the identifiable genes? I think not.

I think it's far too early to be drawing such firm conclusions about this research.

This reminds me of a friend who at 20 years of age had a fortune teller tell him that he had only 5 years to live.

Now at 67 years of age, he never married or owned real estate but "by God" he had a great life travelling and spending every cent from a series of casual jobs.

He is now on the Pension and quite philisophical about his life.

Ralph Bennett

there are allready them
offering telemere extentions

the telemeres are important..in chromosone splitting
one needs to die for each chromosonal division
simularilly..the number of divisions
is dependant directly upon the number of telemeres

i have heard of telemeres that dont die..[as such]
or automaticly restore themselves

[but mainly in those animals that can regrow limbs]

its no use reading the spiel
no doudt its written by the mob
who want to sell their 'extentions'

but its not the number of divisions
but the quality retained in the dna that divides

better by far you find out if your a sheeple

http://www.activistpost.com/2011/05/are-you-sheeple-take-sheeple-quiz.html

cause regardless of the length of ya tele-meres
one bullit in ya brain ya dead

http://www.presstv.com/detail/180166.html
http://www.veteranstoday.com/2011/05/16/unconfirmed-american-deaths-helicopter-crash-bin-laden-capture-aborted/
http://whatreallyhappened.com/

http://www.activistpost.com/2011/05/10-indications-united-states-is.html

I tend to agree with you BELLY - I'm not sure that all these new DNA analysis and other scientific screenings, claiming to be an accurate measurement of one's precise longevity are in anyway reliable.

The only thing that I can add to this commentary; at nearly seventy years of age, my medico has mentioned (habitually), that I'd make a most amusing and intriguing autopsy ?

Of that, I cannot comment. The fact that I'll be in attendance, is irrefutable.

God it would be such fun to wake up that last mornin' wouldn't it?

Why on earth would anyone benefit from that (unless as the saying goes you happen to be a bus/train driver at the time)...