There is a general issue here about the ethical responsibilities of genetic research. When I examine an individual’s genome, I learn not only about the genome of the individual, but also about those of his or her family, and ancestors. I also learn about other members of the community—other descendants of those same ancestors. What are my responsibilities here? What do I owe not only to close relatives of the individual I study, but also to other more distantly related members of their family, to their population, and to our species as a whole? An extreme position that everyone needs to be
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