By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    bowl of vegetable salad
    Raw Foods: benefits and harms
    November 9, 2021
    pros and cons of the keto diet
    Read This Before You Follow the Keto Diet
    May 18, 2022
    spinal cord injuries
    4 Potential Causes of Spinal Cord Injuries (and How to Seek Compensation)
    May 25, 2022
    Latest News
    7 Most Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs: Which Should You Use?
    August 20, 2025
    Hospital Pest Control and the Fight Against Superbugs
    August 20, 2025
    Hygiene Beyond The Clinic: Attention To Overlooked Non-Clinical Spaces
    August 13, 2025
    5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
    August 3, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    TBI: Some Surprising Statistics
    February 9, 2016
    Your Keys to Safer, Even More Secure Healthcare Cloud Services
    January 13, 2015
    4 Career Options in Healthcare Industry that Combine Big Data & Healthcare
    February 5, 2021
    Latest News
    How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
    August 22, 2025
    How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
    August 22, 2025
    How One Fall Can Lead to a Long Road of Medical Complications
    August 22, 2025
    How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
    July 17, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Scientists Challenge Idea of the Individual Genome
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Technology > Medical Innovations > Scientists Challenge Idea of the Individual Genome
Medical InnovationsNewsTechnology

Scientists Challenge Idea of the Individual Genome

Deanna Pogorelc
Deanna Pogorelc
Share
3 Min Read
SHARE

strand of DNAOriginially published on MedCityNews.com. 

For decades, we as a culture have referred to a person’s genome as a singular thing — a set of DNA that exists in each cell and is unique to each person. You are a person and you have one genome.

strand of DNAOriginially published on MedCityNews.com. 

For decades, we as a culture have referred to a person’s genome as a singular thing — a set of DNA that exists in each cell and is unique to each person. You are a person and you have one genome.

More Read

medical bills
Quick Settlements Can Help Car Accident Victims Cover Medical Bills
Big Brother in Your Medicine Cabinet
Truck Accident Lawyers Can Help with Your Medical Debt
ikaSystems CEO Joe Marabito on Transforming Health Plan IT Systems [TRANSCRIPT]
Smokers Die Ten Years Sooner Than Nonsmokers

But the New York Times this week brought to light mounting evidence that that’s not necessarily true. It introduced to the masses two terms that have been gaining acceptance among scientists over the past several years: chimerism and mosaicism.

Both reflect the notion that an individual can have more than one genome. A twin, for example, might acquire some of the other twin’s blood cells in the womb, and end up with part of his genome. A woman can apparently gain genomes from fetal cells left behind after she gives birth to a baby. People who have bone marrow transplants, too, have been shown in studies to end up with some of their donors’ genomes.

What does this finding mean for medicine? The U.S. government undertook the $3 billion Human Genome Project more than two decades ago to improve DNA sequencing, which would help scientists better understand disease. Since then, a number of diagnostic tests and gene therapies have been developed for cancers and rare diseases based on the idea that a person’s genome represents his genetic makeup.

Now, according to Carl Zimmer in the Times:

Scientists are finding links from multiple genomes to certain rare diseases, and now they’re beginning to investigate genetic variations to shed light on more common disorders.

Science’s changing view is also raising questions about how forensic scientists should use DNA evidence to identify people. It’s also posing challenges for genetic counselors, who can’t assume that the genetic information from one cell can tell them about the DNA throughout a person’s body.

In other words, the complicated science of the human genome just got more complicated. Maybe, after all, a cheek swab won’t reveal as much about a person’s health as we once thought.

TAGGED:genome
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

engineer fitting prosthetic arm
How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
Health care
August 20, 2025
a woman explaining the document
How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
Public Health
August 20, 2025
physiotherapist at work
How One Fall Can Lead to a Long Road of Medical Complications
Health care
August 20, 2025
Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs
7 Most Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs: Which Should You Use?
Health News
August 20, 2025

You Might also Like

Study on How “Jail Breaker” Cancer Cells Escape Tumors and Spread Through the Body

April 29, 2013

In the Battle of Doctor’s Orders Versus Patient Power, the Patient is Winning

March 5, 2012
Medical InnovationsTechnology

How Google is Pushing Healthcare Innovation

May 30, 2015
Big Data and BHM Healthcare Solutions
eHealthTechnology

Healthcare Buzzwords: What Is Big Data?

April 17, 2014
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?