This is Scientific Americans 60 Second Science.

I'm Steve Mursky.

I think though if genome sequencing just gets super cheap,

then it's probably very soon going to make sense to just sequence all your DNA.

Science journalist Carl Zimmer, author of the book She Has Her Mother's Laugh, The Powers, Perversions,

and Potential of Heretity.

Zimmer spoke last month at New York University's journalism institute.

Right now, commercial genome services only look at a small percentage of all your DNA, but

as the cost plummets, you'll get your entire genome.

Then the issue will become, well what do you use your genome for in terms of your health?

A lot of people will actually be benefit from something I learned by looking at my genome, which is that if,

God forbid, I were to get hepatitis, there are certain drugs that won't do me any good because

I have certain genes.

Pharmacogenomics, as it's called.

I think that pharmacogenomics might be the kind of

of the low-hanging fruit of genome sequencing.

Because like doctors so often, like if you get sick,

well, let's try this.

You know, and it might be hepatitis, it might be depression,

and all sorts of things, like, well, that didn't work very well,

let's try this.

Wouldn't it be nice if we could just skip the

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