59 Things I Didn't Learn Today (and You Can Too!)

Among the people who read KN@PPSTER, I get the feeling most are fairly privacy-conscious and reluctant to share personal/private/medical information unless absolutely necessary.

If you resemble that remark, this post is probably not for you.

A few years ago, I signed up for a large study called All Of Us (not an affiliate link -- I get nothing out of pointing you at it except the knowledge that I pointed you at something you might find interesting/useful).

I gave them a DNA sample (I forget whether it was blood or saliva), but I don't think you have to do that to participate.

Because I gave them a DNA sample, I've received various reports from them over time, including something that looks a lot like a simplified Ancestry.com or 23andMe "DNA Ancestry" report, a report on how specific genes I carry may affect the way my body absorbs particular medications, and an analysis of 59 genes associated with particular health conditions (that last one returned no "bad" results; I may have genetic predispositions for this or that, but none of the 59 predispositions they checked for).

They do things other than taking DNA samples. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, they surveyed study participants on their experiences/actions.

It's all pretty cool IMO, but it's something you'll be interested in or won't be interested in now that you know about it.