The Best Genome Kit Is the One That Gives You a BAM and a gVCF
A technical comparison of consumer genotyping arrays, exomes, short-read whole genomes, and long-read sequencing, judged on the data files you receive and what you can compute from them.
Tag: data-ownership
6 posts
What Genome Mapping Companies Sell, and Which One to Use
A comparison of the companies that will sequence or map your genome, what data each one hands back, and how to judge an offer by coverage, read length, and file deliverables rather than marketing copy.
The Most Private DNA Test Is One Where You Hold the Only Copy of the Data
A technical answer to what makes genetic testing private: who holds the raw files, what the consent terms permit, how re-identifiable the data is, and how to store and analyze a genome yourself.
Own Your Labs: Ordering Your Own Blood Work and Keeping the Data
What direct-access lab testing is, how self-ordered blood work is priced, and how to store and interpret your own results as structured data rather than PDFs.
What Whole Genome Sequencing Costs in 2026
A breakdown of consumer, research-core, and clinical whole genome sequencing prices, what each tier gets you in files and coverage, and where the hidden costs sit.
DNA Test Privacy: What Leaks, and How to Control It
A technical account of the privacy properties of consumer and clinical DNA testing: what data exists, who holds it, what re-identification attacks work, and a concrete setup for keeping your own sequence data under your control.