Get your genome sequenced for free...but share it with the world - You can pay $399 or more to get your genome sequenced by <a href="http://23andme.com" target="_blank">23andMe</a> or <a href="http://www.navigenics.com" target="_blank">Navigenics</a> or you can sign up for Personal Genomes and get it done for free. The catch is they will share your genome with the world.

Is that bad? Maybe not. The downside risks might be the possibility of genetic discrimination by employers and insurance companies. Also, in theory someone could make synthetic DNA from your sequence and try to frame you for a crime...seems like a stretch though.

Personally, I'm a big advocate of this project. It will do a lot to advance medical knowledge and will almost certainly contribute to the treatments of countless diseases. In fact, I just signed up! (wish me luck :)

It was also just written up in the <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2008/10/20/a-new-sort-of-facebook-posting-your-genes-on-the-web/" target="_blank">Wall Street Journal</a>.