Ever since Kevin Davies coined the phrase "the $1000 genome" the vision of whole genomes at the corner store has alternately inspired and unsettled onlookers. Well, we're not quite at the point where getting your genome sequenced costs less than buying a smartphone, but sequencing is definitely still rising in popularity. Nowhere was this more evident than at the 12th International Congress of Human Genetics (ICHG) held three weeks ago in Montreal. 23andMe's 11 scientists in attendance presented 10 scientific posters and soaked in four full days of the latest in human genetics (and a bit of the charms of Montreal).

The joint  12th International Congress of Human Genetics  and  61st Annual Meeting of the  American Society of Human Genetics  held this week in Montreal is expected to draw more than...