Want Your Genome Sequenced? Got $68,000? Try Your Luck on eBay!

"People ordered genomes for Christmas" [The New York Times], says the chief executive of the personal gene-sequencing company Knome, commenting on the recent increased demand for his company's services. Now, Knome is partnering with the non-profit X Prize Foundation to auction its complete genome scan service on eBay. Bidding will open at $68,000—far below Knome's current price of $99,000. The auction starts Friday and will continue for 10 days. The highest bidder will walk away with a full readout of their gene map, along with a complete interpretation of their genetic details [CNN]. The auction is essentially a publicity stunt [The New York Times] for the company, and is set to begin Friday in order to coincide with DNA Day, the anniversary of the discovery of the double helix structure. Proceeds will benefit the X Prize Foundation, an educational institute offering a $10 million prize for the sequencing of 100 ...