Did you know that more than 26 million Americans have had a personal genomics test performed? And within the next two years, the number is expected to grow rapidly. As genomic testing becomes more common, you might wonder what the implications are for your future. Perhaps you’ve had a genetic test performed or plan to do one soon. What should you expect? And what should you be cautious about?

Professor Graham Coop and postdoctoral researcher Michael “Doc” Edge, both of the Department of Evolution and Ecology, warn that these “direct to consumer” DNA testing services could be vulnerable to a sort of genetic hacking.

Funders gathered today in London to officially launch the Earth BioGenome Project, a global effort to sequence the genetic code of all the planet’s eukaryotes — some 1.5 million known species, including all plants, animals, protozoa and fungi.

An international consortium of scientists is proposing what is arguably the most ambitious project in the history of biology: sequencing the DNA of all known eukaryotic species on Earth.