University of Iowa student Bakir Hajdarevic (BOCK-heer hye-dar-vich)
didn't have to study for the most important test in his genetics class.
He just had to spit.
The 19-year-old took an honors seminar in
which students could choose to send saliva samples for testing to learn
about personal health secrets such as whether they are at risk for
cancer or carriers for genetic disease.
Taught at Iowa for the
first time, the class is part of a growing movement in higher education
to tackle the field of personal genetics, which is revolutionizing
medicine. Several other universities have recently added similar
classes.
They're forcing students to decide whether it is better
to be ignorant or informed about possible health problems _ a decision
more Americans will confront as genetic testing becomes cheaper.
source: lasvegassun.com
