- Email: [email protected]
Double-cross helix?
OPINION LETTERS Double-cross helix? From Denise Syndercombe Court, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry Your editorial and articles on DNA testing raise the important issue of obtaining appropriate consent for an individual’s DNA to be tested (31 January, p 3 and p 6; 24 January, p 8). The law in the UK is clear on this: it is illegal for a laboratory to test an individual’s DNA without proper informed consent. Even if companies refuse to test items such as discarded chewing gum and tissues, there is still a danger of tests being conducted without proper consent. A laboratory receiving “consent forms” by post with samples cannot establish that informed consent has been freely given. Only consent given in front of, and verified by, an independent person of appropriate standing, such as a registered medical professional, can offer assurance that the law is being complied with and so protect an individual against their DNA being “stolen”.
Also of significant concern are questions about the scientific competence and experience of particular laboratories to provide the correct information and interpret it appropriately. Processing DNA and getting a result is frighteningly easy, but obtaining the correct result and interpreting it reliably is complicated. Those who make claims which go beyond their expertise may be defrauding members of the public, with serious consequences. London, UK From John Baker You hail the UK legislation banning covert DNA testing. Yet the UK already leads the world in illegal DNA testing – the police are holding 857,366 DNA samples of people illegally, as recently determined by the European Court of Human Rights, in a unanimous and damning judgement (13 December 2008, p 7). The UK holds 4.5 million DNA samples, which probably cover most of the population through familial matching. I am far more
Enigma Number 1534
Head start SUSAN DENHAM Harey and Tortus decided to race from Harey’s house to school, a distance of a whole number of metres. They each ran at their own steady speed and when Harey reached school, Tortus was over half way there, but still had a twofigure number of metres to go. The next day they repeated the race, but this time Harey decided to
give Tortus a head start equal to the winning margin of the previous day. So Harey walked that number of metres away from his house in the opposite direction to school before the race started. Once again, Harey got to school first, ahead by a twofigure number of metres. The second winning margin had the same pair of digits as the first, but in reverse order. How far is it from Harey’s house to the school?
WIN £15 will be awarded to the sender of the first correct answer opened on Tuesday 31 March. The Editor’s decision is final. Please send entries to Enigma 1534, New Scientist, Lacon House, 84 Theobald’s Road, London WC1X 8NS, or to [email protected] (please include your postal address). Answer to 1528 Ad hoctagon: The area of the octagon is 140 cm2 The winner Ian Chantrell of Plymouth, UK
24 | NewScientist | 28 February 2009
threatened by this database and the possibilities, such as criminals planting my DNA at a crime scene, than I am by individuals covertly processing my DNA. In the case of paternity, historically only the mother has been sure, excluding maternity ward mix-ups. The father has a
the right to find out the truth. Should this give them the right to delve into the double helices of anyone who they think can help answer their questions, including innocent parties, without consent? The UK parliament has decided that everyone’s genetic privacy must be respected. Drafting a law that selectively strips rights of privacy from individuals who breach codes of sexual conduct may be impractical.
Holographology
small chance of having been cuckolded. Why should he be denied this information? Regardless, there is no realistic way of keeping people in ignorance, even if it were justifiable. I recommend routine verification of paternity at birth, with immediate destruction of the samples. Chalfont St. Giles, Buckinghamshire, UK From Tony Park You raise concerns about the damage that covert genetic testing could do to families, yet simply asking for consent for a paternity test could damage the relationship, regardless of the result. In cases where the test shows infidelity or unexpected paternity, it is difficult to argue that the test is the cause of any relationship problems that may result. Similarly, the argument that great harm could result from finding out that your mother had been lying to you all your life is false. The harm is in the lying, not the finding out. Dunlop, Ayrshire, UK The editor writes: ■ People who suspect sexual betrayal feel strongly they have
From Antony Naylor In the concept proposed by Marcus Chown in the article “All the world’s a hologram” (17 January, p 24), the twodimensional surface of the sphere surrounding the universe is the hologram and the universe (including you) is a holographic image – a point glossed over by the oversimplified wording that appeared on the cover of the issue. There are two main problems with this theory. First, if there is a projected image, then some energy must interact with the hologram, either as transmitted or reflected energy. This cannot be electromagnetic radiation as its finite velocity would raise all sorts of problems with time, including predestination. So what is it and where does it come from? Secondly, if the universe is expanding then the elements of the hologram must either be increasing in number or be being stretched. In the case of a black hole, the event horizon does increase in size as energy falls in, but there is no evidence that energy is falling into the universe. If the elements are being stretched, the graininess of the universe must be increasing. These issues can be resolved if one accepts that while the elements in the universe and those on the surface of the sphere can be mapped or transformed onto each other, neither the
Also of significant concern are questions about the scientific competence and experience of particular laboratories to provide the correct information and interpret it appropriately. Processing DNA and getting a result is frighteningly easy, but obtaining the correct result and interpreting it reliably is complicated. Those who make claims which go beyond their expertise may be defrauding members of the public, with serious consequences. London, UK From John Baker You hail the UK legislation banning covert DNA testing. Yet the UK already leads the world in illegal DNA testing – the police are holding 857,366 DNA samples of people illegally, as recently determined by the European Court of Human Rights, in a unanimous and damning judgement (13 December 2008, p 7). The UK holds 4.5 million DNA samples, which probably cover most of the population through familial matching. I am far more
Enigma Number 1534
Head start SUSAN DENHAM Harey and Tortus decided to race from Harey’s house to school, a distance of a whole number of metres. They each ran at their own steady speed and when Harey reached school, Tortus was over half way there, but still had a twofigure number of metres to go. The next day they repeated the race, but this time Harey decided to
give Tortus a head start equal to the winning margin of the previous day. So Harey walked that number of metres away from his house in the opposite direction to school before the race started. Once again, Harey got to school first, ahead by a twofigure number of metres. The second winning margin had the same pair of digits as the first, but in reverse order. How far is it from Harey’s house to the school?
WIN £15 will be awarded to the sender of the first correct answer opened on Tuesday 31 March. The Editor’s decision is final. Please send entries to Enigma 1534, New Scientist, Lacon House, 84 Theobald’s Road, London WC1X 8NS, or to [email protected] (please include your postal address). Answer to 1528 Ad hoctagon: The area of the octagon is 140 cm2 The winner Ian Chantrell of Plymouth, UK
24 | NewScientist | 28 February 2009
threatened by this database and the possibilities, such as criminals planting my DNA at a crime scene, than I am by individuals covertly processing my DNA. In the case of paternity, historically only the mother has been sure, excluding maternity ward mix-ups. The father has a
the right to find out the truth. Should this give them the right to delve into the double helices of anyone who they think can help answer their questions, including innocent parties, without consent? The UK parliament has decided that everyone’s genetic privacy must be respected. Drafting a law that selectively strips rights of privacy from individuals who breach codes of sexual conduct may be impractical.
Holographology
small chance of having been cuckolded. Why should he be denied this information? Regardless, there is no realistic way of keeping people in ignorance, even if it were justifiable. I recommend routine verification of paternity at birth, with immediate destruction of the samples. Chalfont St. Giles, Buckinghamshire, UK From Tony Park You raise concerns about the damage that covert genetic testing could do to families, yet simply asking for consent for a paternity test could damage the relationship, regardless of the result. In cases where the test shows infidelity or unexpected paternity, it is difficult to argue that the test is the cause of any relationship problems that may result. Similarly, the argument that great harm could result from finding out that your mother had been lying to you all your life is false. The harm is in the lying, not the finding out. Dunlop, Ayrshire, UK The editor writes: ■ People who suspect sexual betrayal feel strongly they have
From Antony Naylor In the concept proposed by Marcus Chown in the article “All the world’s a hologram” (17 January, p 24), the twodimensional surface of the sphere surrounding the universe is the hologram and the universe (including you) is a holographic image – a point glossed over by the oversimplified wording that appeared on the cover of the issue. There are two main problems with this theory. First, if there is a projected image, then some energy must interact with the hologram, either as transmitted or reflected energy. This cannot be electromagnetic radiation as its finite velocity would raise all sorts of problems with time, including predestination. So what is it and where does it come from? Secondly, if the universe is expanding then the elements of the hologram must either be increasing in number or be being stretched. In the case of a black hole, the event horizon does increase in size as energy falls in, but there is no evidence that energy is falling into the universe. If the elements are being stretched, the graininess of the universe must be increasing. These issues can be resolved if one accepts that while the elements in the universe and those on the surface of the sphere can be mapped or transformed onto each other, neither the