People who take direct-to-consumer genetic tests like 23andMe often do so to find out about their family history, or maybe what kinds of genetic conditions they might pass on to their children.
But they don&#8217;t usually do it to figure out whether or not they&#8217;re human. That&#8217;s probably a good thing, because a recent experiment showed that some of these tests can&#8217;t tell.
A Chicago-based NBC station <a href="https://www.nbcchicago.com/investigations/home-dna-kits-481292431.html">sent one reporter&#8217;s DNA</a> to a handful of home DNA tests to compare the results. And just for kicks, they also sent a sample of DNA from Bailey, a Labrador retriever (it&#8217;s unclear who Bailey&#8217;s owner is is, but we&#8217;re pretty sure Bailey is a very good girl).
While most companies returned the sample as unreadable, one called Orig3n DNA didn&#8217;t seem to notice. Instead, they sent back a 7-page report praising Bailey&#8217;s cardiac output and muscle force, and recommending that she work with a personal trainer.
Woof.
“The majority of genetic testing is still a gray area and there’s always the possibility of uncertain results,” Jessica Stoll, a genetic counselor at the University of Chicago Hospitals, told the station.
Luckily, we couldn&#8217;t find any other cases of DNA testing companies mixing up humans and animals. That&#8217;s a bit of a relief. And while it&#8217;s pretty funny to consider a human genetic testing company seriously recommending a fitness plan to a dog, this incident hints at a deeper, scarier issue: many people have come to think of these easy at-home tests as a replacement for medical advice or counseling.
You&#8217;ve heard it before: you shouldn&#8217;t put too much stock into at-home genetic tests, or what they tell you about yourself. These services often promise things that DNA can&#8217;t really tell you much about, like <a href="https://futurism.com/23andme-competitor-genetic-testing/">the wine you should drink</a> or <a href="https://futurism.com/dates-dna-scientifically-questionable/">who you should be dating</a>. The medical information DNA provides can be hard to interpret without counseling and even <a href="https://futurism.com/genetic-report-predict-disease-risk/">ruinous to your outlook on life</a>. There&#8217;s also a chance some tests are <a href="https://futurism.com/home-genetic-tests-false-results/">giving participants false information</a>.
This canine conundrum shows just how fallible these tests really are.
“I don’t find them particularly useful, and in some cases I can actually find them harmful,” Stoll said of at-home DNA tests, emphasizing that the context of your medical history incredibly important to use genetic tests to determine risk for medical conditions. &#8220;We use very specific clinical tests to determine if there is a very specific gene mutation or a change in a gene that’s increasing a person’s risk. If we’re going to do any testing, we need to base it on your personal and family medical history.&#8221;
In other words, if you&#8217;re planning to use an at-home test to learn more about yourself, take its results with a very large grain of salt — and consider consulting a professional regardless of what the results say.
And, if you have a pet, maybe keep them away from your spit kit&#8230; just in case.

So you probably shouldn't rely on them alone to inform important medical decisions.

Some genetic tests apparently can't tell if you're dog or human

Health & Medicine

One DNA testing company wasn't able to tell that a sample sent to them by NBC reporters was from a dog, showing the fallibility of at-home genetic tests.

Some Genetic Tests Apparently Can't Tell If You're Dog or Human

Just another reason you should be wary of home genetic tests.

Some Genetic Tests Apparently Can’t Tell If You’re Dog Or Human

SynDaver is raising $24 million to end the practice of animal testing on dogs in veterinarian school.

Hard Science

Company Creates Specially-Designed Synthetic Dogs Could Help End Animal Testing

Dogs and cats living in animal shelters were the usual &#8220;practice subjects&#8221; for would-be veterinarians not so long ago—something called &#8220;terminal surgery&#8221; by veterinarians. After the surgical procedure, students would euthanize the animal when they were done.
Thankfully, the academic community phased-out this teaching method; however, veterinarians are still looking for exacting alternatives that will be able to give students a realistic veterinary experience.
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/169387331" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" title="How this Synthetic Canine will save lives!" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe>
David Danielson may just have the solution. In addition to being a veterinarian, he is also the vice president of SynDaver Lab, a company that makes synthetic human tissue and body parts for medical simulations.
He and his team are currently working on a synthetic dog prototype that breathes and bleeds just as a living dog would. Veterinary students can now perform multiple surgeries on the dog and expect it to react accordingly—perhaps even more so when they make mistakes.
<figure style="width: 583px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2016/06/dog-test.jpg" alt="Credit: Science Alert" width="583" height="327" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Credit: SynDaver Lab</figcaption></figure>
The prototype even has its own heartbeat and circulatory system made out of SynDaver Lab&#8217;s in-house synthetic tissue.
&#8220;The canine utilises SynDaver’s patented SynTissue, which mimics living tissue, includes a full list of functioning bodily systems, and has the capability to simulate customised diseases, illnesses and medical complications,&#8221; says Danielson.
Granted it&#8217;s one of the creepiest-looking things you&#8217;ll ever see—but it may just change veterinary medicine for the better.
Let&#8217;s just hope the students can keep their lunches down while working on the uncanny thing.

Robots & Machines

A team at SynDaver Lab is working on a synthetic prototype dog that allows veterinary students to practice realistic surgeries.

This Synthetic Dog Can Breathe, And It’s Saving Lives

This synthetic dog has a heartbeat, a circulatory system, and it can breath. 

PlayDate has a mobile app that allows you to control the ball’s movements in real time from anywhere in the world.

Sci-Fi Visions

PlayDate has a mobile app that allows you to control the ball's movements in real time from anywhere in the world.

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