A new paper in PLoS Genetics describes discoveries related to the genetics of male pattern baldness. 23andMe customers represented more than half the cases of male pattern baldness studied, and our unique database also allowed the researchers to uncover unexpected connections between this common trait and specific diseases.

A recent study in The Lancet reported that variation on the Y chromosome is associated with coronary artery disease (CAD) in British men. Here, we discuss the special properties of the Y chromosome and their implications for association studies, our concerns about the evidence the authors use to support their finding, and observations from the 23andMe database for haplogroup I and heart disease.

A study published yesterday in Science Translational Medicine from a group at Johns Hopkins University set out to determine the best-case power of genetics to provide clinically meaningful information about risk of common diseases. Genetics will not be equally informative for everyone, and will not replace these other approaches, but this is actually quite compatible with personalized medicine -- that we can find and leverage the information that has the biggest impact on healthcare at an individual level.

[Update: This study was formally retracted by Science on July 22, 2011] A genome-wide association study of extreme longevity published last week in the journal Science has been receiving a...