JAMES WATSON, co-discoverer of the double helix, has said that human fate is no longer in the stars but in our genes. There is no doubt that the contents of our 46 chromosomes have a strong influence on who we are, biologically at least, and which medical conditions we are likely to suffer from. But interpreting genetic information reliably is proving far trickier than most experts imagined.
Till now, much of the debate about the downside of genetic tests has been in the abstract. But as more doctors order genetic tests for their patients, we are seeing the first tangible…
