I am already very impressed with 4G (LTE) speeds but with 5G you can possibly achieve 150 mb/s to 940 mb/s which is mind blowing ...
Considering that you could then possibly upload via your mobile devices, your own 100 Gb bam file in about 10 seconds (sorry I wasn't thinking how much faster a youtube video would stream). Now Google is saying that they can store your genome (actually they meant your 30x WGS bam file) for $25 a year. But with 5G speeds, why would I even bother with that?
Heck, maybe in the future with an USB OTG cable connected to Oxford Nanopore's MinION your android phone will be able to sequence and upload in realtime your DNA obtained from a buccal swab. The cloud will have the fastq reads aligned and call variants instantaneously and download the 100 Gb bam to your microsd card.
Possible applications:
- Maybe in the future other than asking if you have a drug allergy, pharmacists will request to 'scan' your DNA for the most efficient drug.
- another possible application might be having your DNA be your own personal identity card,
- more routine sequencing of the human microbiome to monitor your health in relation to the gut microflora or other sites.
I am keen to find out what you think you can do if you could carry your whole genome sequencing with you and upload via mobile networks. Drop in your comments please!
Remember that scene in GATTACA where Irene tests "Jerome", obtaining a genetic profile before dating him?
ReplyDeleteLot of that is going to happen, but not just for romance. IMHO, dating is small fry, compared to non-romantic kinds of short-term, practical, everyday relationships. Who to contract. Who to carpool with. Who to trust.
Genoism will rise exponentially, as genetic marker patterns crop up as initially incremental, but increasingly accurate warnings of who to socialise with, and who to be cautious about.
Complaints of genoism will rise in proportion to how the predictors of anti-social behaviour grow increasingly predictive, and protective, towards the weak and vulnerable, incidentally causing naturally anti-social persons to perform fewer anti-social acts (due to fewer opportunities), but also unjustly judging them before they commit any misdeeds.
Gratuitous handwringing will ensue over this prejudice, largely in proportion to how much actual, anti-social predation of man upon man (and woman... and child... the weakest among us...) in everyday life decreases.
The most powerful, influential predators will screech the loudest, and will be the last to gradually lose the trust on which their lifestyle depends.