Church has good reasons for wanting piles of genomic data. As a Bloomberg article on the project says:

By matching genetic data from each person with his or her health history, Church would build a database that would link DNA variations and disease for scientists and drugmakers, the first step in deciding on treatments that can block the mutations or adjust how they work within the body.

Church also said he'll explore other human traits under genetic control. Participants will give facial and body measurements, tell researchers what time they get up in the morning, and detail other behaviors, he said.

Church has already partially sequenced genomes from 10 people, and the jump to 100,000 is under review by a Harvard ethics panel. The project ``only stops when we stop learning things,'' Church said.

We should note: there's no evidence of wrongdoing here, and Google has never explicitly said "we want to organize genetic information." True, they are major investors in the personal genomics company 23andMe, but we have every reason to believe that Big brother "don't be evil" Google will play it straight, keeping any information they have access to safe and anonymous.

But still you've got to wonder, does Google want direct access to DNA information? And if so, why?

Source: Bloomberg via SciGuy

Graphic: Personal Genome Project (Church's outfit)

Believe me, I'd love it if home genome kits could really help us in a scientific way. It would be great if we knew enough about the human genome to say things like "this gene gives you a predisposition to depression." Once we know that, it's only a matter of time before we'll get customized pharmaceuticals, a personalized pill that combats your unique form of genetically-hardwired depressive tendencies. But we don't. In fact, most doctors don't even understand how to interpret prenatal genetic tests.

Indeed, most genomics experts agree that a genetic predisposition to something is hardly a prediction. Environmental factors play a key role in gene expression. So a sad childhood might trigger those depression genes, or a polluted environment trigger genes for cancer. Plus, as I said before, we still don't really know what most of our genes do. So what if you have a gene that scientists think might be linked to a tendency to take risks? Should you be more careful? Should you be given drugs to calm you down?

Worst case scenario: people doing home genome testing will start treating themselves for bogus disorders. Best case: they turn their genomes into a form of social networking, the way 23and me encourages them to, and start dating people with compatible genomes. That's nothing more than eugenics, when you think about it.