Berkeley to Freshmen: Want a DNA Test?

Campuses a 'sanctuary for narrow ideology,' says conservative group

(NEWSER) - Leftist faculty and "politically correct" thinking at University of California campuses are giving students a dangerously unbalanced education, according to a study by an organization of conservative educators. Humanities departments in particular have been hijacked by a leftist agenda that merely teaches about minorities grievances, according to the report, "Crisis of Competence: The Corrupting Effect of Political Activism in the University of California," by the National Association of Scholars . Campuses have "become a sanctuary for a narrow ideological segment of the spectrum of political and social ideas," according to the report. UC officials, not surprisingly, disagree. More»

Missed chance on DNA, staked out wrong house,

(NEWSER) - The alleged serial killer known as the Grim Sleeper could have been stopped two years earlier if the police had collected his DNA. Lonnie David Franklin should have been added to a DNA database under a 2004 law called Proposition 69, finds the LA Times . He wasn't—apparently because it took the cops too long to get organized. "If only,” laments the mother of one of the victims. “Her life could have been possibly saved.” More»

Possibly illegal product reveals risk of disease

(NEWSER) - Soon, you may be able to pick up a genetic testing kit at your local drugstore. A San Diego company has made a deal to sell its new Insight test at Walgreens locations across the country, promising consumers a look at their risk for Alzheimer's, breast cancer, diabetes, and more. The Pathway Genomics kits sell for $20 to $30, with analysis costing between $79 and $249. There's just one problem: It might be illegal. More»

Jackson's daughter gets haircut during retail therapy trip with grandmother

(NEWSER) - The hair snipped from Paris Jackson's head last week won't be falling into the hands of the genetic paparazzi. The Las Vegas salon that cut the 11-year-old's hair carefully swept up, bagged, and handed over every last strand, apparently to stop potential thieves from running a DNA test on the locks to determine who Paris's biological father is, the Daily Mail reports. More»

(NEWSER) - Major League Baseball's DNA testing of Latin American rookies has bioethics experts worried, the New York Times reports. League officials say the genetic tests are necessary after a string of cases in which prospects lied about their age or identity, but experts fear the tests may be used to weed out the injury-prone or those likely to suffer genetic disorders. More»