Experimental chips are already at least 25 times faster than existing gene sequencing methods at decoding information. The chip decodes genetic information a paragraph or page at a time, rather than letter by letter, sequencing an entire genome in minutes and locating missing pieces or structural changes. If we can read a person's genetic story that fast, we can finish the book in a reasonable amount of time and understand more complex plots and subplots. Existing techniques have been valuable in identifying a small number of changes in the DNA chain commonly known as single nucleotide polymorphisms, which may result in diseases such as sickle cell anemia. However, these approaches have proved too slow and expensive to provide information on polygenic diseases, in which many genes may contribute to the emergence of disease or increased susceptibility to stressors.
Much environmental regulation protects human health by a very indirect route.
For example, a very high dose of a chemical might be found to cause cancer in rats or other laboratory animals. Even though the mechanism by which the cancer is formed may be poorly understood, an estimate is made that a certain amount of that chemical would be harmful to humans. Estimates are then made about what concentration of that chemical in the environment might result in a high level in humans and what level of discharge of that chemical from an industrial plant or other source might result in the dangerously high concentration in the environment. Finally, the facility is told that it must limit its release of that chemical to a specific level, and, in many cases, the technologies to accomplish these reductions are prescribed. This long series of assumptions, calculations, and extrapolations makes the regulatory process slow, inexact, and contentious-a breeding ground for litigation, scientific disputes, and public confusion.