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DNA kits for sale: It's almost free!

23andMe is putting its DNA test on sale. Is it worth it?
Written by Boonsri Dickinson, Contributing Editor

I'm sitting in a hotel room in North Carolina, and I'm looking through my 23andMe genetic profile. I am getting my presentation ready for a talk I'll be giving at the Ethical, Legal & Social Implications Congress about my experience using 23andMe's service.

So you're probably thinking...wow, I wish I could have my DNA sequenced and analyzed too. Well it turns out, the DNA kit is on sale today.

Basically, the sale works like a gym membership. It's free today, but you have to pay $9/month for at least a year. Normally, it costs $199 upfront.

That's pretty cheap. I paid (well, my magazine paid) $999 for me to take the test a couple of years ago.

The folks at Singularity Hub called the sale a gimmick.This isn't the first time 23andMe put on a sale. Last year, the company sold their test for $99 to celebrate National DNA Day.

Tomorrow, I'll be discussing the ethical implications of DNA testing. I will talk about what it was like getting my health and ancestry information.

While the tests might have changed my life a little, I don't think about it constantly. And I don't check my results that often.

Have you gotten your DNA tested? Do you think this is a good deal or is this an attempt to get more customers?

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This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com

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