Tallinn, Estonia
Estonia has sold the commercial rights to data on its citizens’ DNA to a Silicon Valley startup called EGeen International. The Estonian government is encouraging all citizens to donate gene samples at the doctor’s office. Kalev Kask, CEO of EGeen, said Estonian DNA would be particularly useful in determining the genetic component of complicated conditions, such as high blood pressure. Estonia “has had a pretty tough history,” Kask told Salon.com. “It’s been invaded over and over throughout the past thousands of years, so a typical Estonian is sort of representative of all Europeans.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
What should you be stockpiling for 'World War Three'?In the Spotlight Britons advised to prepare after the EU tells its citizens to have an emergency kit just in case
-
Carnivore diet: why people are eating only meatThe Explainer 'Meatfluencers' are taking social media by storm but experts warn meat-only diets have health consequences
-
Scientists want to fight malaria by poisoning mosquitoes with human bloodUnder the radar Drugging the bugs
