Ever wondered if your uncle’s cousin’s brother was, infact, your husband"  No, me neither… but I’m sure it happens in some places, like Yeovil or Darlington.  Anyway, despite society’s thirst for new technologies, I soon discovered that many people view DNA testing with the same kind of suspicion they reserve for tarot reading or “Psychic Sally”.  I’m not talking about the kind of DNA testing that proves X murdered Y at the Old Bailey, that kind of science is beyond reproach – I’m talking about the kind of DNA profiling that you and I can have done.  On ourselves.  Of course, it’s basically the same thing – but try telling that to some people. SOME PEOPLE. To be fair, my prior knowledge of DNA testing was pretty sketchy, it was based around everything I’ve ever learnt from watching The Jeremy Kyle Show, which, as I’m sure you can imagine… amounts to not an awful lot.
If I’m being honest, vanity had a lot to do with my decision to have my DNA profiled.  I mean, we all know that the best subject in the world to talk about is ourselves.  On the health side of things, I was curious to discover whether my DNA would show a genetic disposition toward Alzheimers now that both my mother and my paternal grandmother had been diagnosed with the disease.  I also wanted to find out about any other genetic risk factors, including the much talked about BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation...