DNA Portraits Reveal Your Inner Beauty

By Lauren Davis, 10:30 AM on Tue Sep 8 2009, 5,585 views (Edit, to draft, Slurp)

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Four competing companies offer artworks based on your unique genetic code, but which one will make your genes look coolest? We compare DNA portraits from each company, each with a very different take on the art of genetic information.

DNA Art Forms takes a more interpretive approach with DNA portraiture than most companies. After identifying 15 unique regions of your genetic code, clients consult with an artist as to how they want their DNA represented, be it as an abstract form, a landscape, or as an actual portrait including your image. Portraits start at $1500, and clients are consulted each step of the way, approving concept sketches before paint ever touches canvas.

DNA 11, which claims to have pioneered the DNA portrait, takes a more straightforward approach, taking a traditional representation of a genetic profile and offering it in a wide variety of colors and sizes. The glass portraits start at $199, and fingerprint and kiss portraits are available as well.

If you just want a representation of a single gene, My Gene Image will look at a single gene from your genetic sample, such as an eye color, pheromone, circadian rhythm, or mood gene. The company will then identify the sequence of nucleotides that make up that gene, and will render the gene as a series of As, Ts, Gs, and Cs against a colorful background.

WEB2DNA doesn't actually sell artwork, and its images don't actually represent human DNA, although they are done in the style of a genetic profile. It actually converts website data into a visual structure based on DNA portraits, creating a visual "genetic profile" for your website. And, if the mood strikes you, you could always print it out and hang it on your wall.

[via The Bio(logy) Blog]