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Hey there, welcome to Life Noggin! You likely consider your body your property, right?
大家好，欢迎来到打脑洞开的生命奇想！你喜欢把自己的身体看作你的财产，是吧？
Well, you might be surprised to learn that the law isn’t entirely clear whether you do own your body.
你可能会惊讶的是，法律并未完全明确说明你是否拥有你自己的身体。
Apparently, you can’t be you and own you at the same time, which is really quite confusing.
显然，你不能同时做你自己和拥有你自己，这真的很令人困惑。
Things get more intricate when we look at your genetic makeup, your DNA.
当我们看你的DNA组成时，事情会更加复杂。
DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is the genetic information that dictates how our bodies grow, function, and reproduce.
DNA或脱氧核糖核酸，指的是基因信息，它可决定你的身体如何生长，运作，和繁殖。
Humans share 99.9% of the same DNA but a peek at your specific sequences
人类拥有99.9%相同的DNA，但你的特定序列
can reveal information about your health, personality, family history, and even your relationships.
可以揭露你的健康，性格，家族史，甚至你的人际关系。
Each human’s complete DNA sequence is different than anyone else’s.
每个人的完整DNA序列和其他任何人都是不同的。
It’s incredibly personal and experts have said that your genetic information is the most valuable thing you have.
这是非常私人的，专家说你的基因信息是你拥有的最有价值的东西。
Just like your social security number, home address, and credit card info, this information should be guarded carefully.
就像你的社会保险号、家庭住址和信用卡信息一样，这些信息应该小心保护。
But, some of you humans are totally fine giving your genetic information away to corporations, research groups, and other third party organizations.
但是，你们中的一些人完全可以把自己的基因信息泄露给公司、研究小组和其他第三方组织。
So far, 12 million of you have sent away samples of your DNA to consumer genetic testing companies to find out information about your own genetic makeup.
到目前为止，你们当中有1200万人已经将自己的DNA样本送到了消费级基因测试公司，以找到关于自己基因构成的信息。
By agreeing to the terms and conditions and sending off a vial of your saliva, you’re giving these groups the right to your DNA.
通过同意这些条款和条件，并寄出一小瓶你的唾液，你就给了这些群体获得你DNA的权利。
You’re allowing them to sell this information, send it to research groups,
你允许他们出售这些信息，发送给研究小组，
and do any number of things thanks to some incredibly broad wording of their fine-print.
并用它做任何事情，这都要感谢一些难以置信的精细印刷的宽泛措辞。
And if your genetic info leads to some wild, medical breakthrough, you’ll get nothing.
如果你的基因信息导致了一些疯狂的医学突破，你会一无所获。
Which is pretty rude if you ask me. So does this mean they own your DNA? Do you own it?
如果你问我的话，这有点无礼。所以这意味着他们拥有你的DNA吗？你拥有它吗？
People, organizations, and judges have been debating who owns DNA for years.
多年来，人们，组织和法官一直在辩论谁拥有DNA。
But after a court ruling in 2013, it was decided that DNA cannot be patented under US law, which means no one can own someone else’s DNA.
2013年，一次法庭审判决定，在美国法律下，不能申请DNA专利。这意味着没人能拥有其他人的DNA。
And it’s not even clear if you own your DNA, which also contains your family’s DNA.
甚至，你是否拥有你的DNA都不明确，它也包含了你家人的DNA。
Legally speaking, natural phenomenons and laws of nature cannot be trademarked or solely claimed.
法律上来讲，自然现象和自然法则不能被注册商标或单独声称。
This is the same reason why someone can’t patent the element gold and claim that all gold on Earth is theirs.
这也是为什么人们不能给金元素注册商标，宣称地球上所有的金子都是他们的。
So while these companies can’t own your DNA,
尽管这些公司不能拥有你的DNA，
they can own the sample you gave and the information they derive from it.
但是他们能拥有你给的样本和他们从中获取的信息，并将其寄到他们想寄到的任何地方。
And I bet there are a lot of hands you wouldn’t want your genetic makeup to fall into.
我敢说，你不想让你的基因组成落到很多人的手里。
For example, while it’s technically illegal for employers and health insurers to discriminate based on genetics,
比如，虽然严格来说，雇主和健康保险公司基于基因的歧视是违法的，
it would be difficult to prove that’s why they fired you or didn’t take you on as a customer.
但很难证明这就是他们解雇你或者不接受你作为客户的原因。
And unfortunately, the legal future of your right to genetic privacy is unclear.
不幸的是，基因隐私权的法律前景并不明朗。
So while no one may own your DNA right now, who knows if that’ll still be the case ten, twenty years from now.
所以，虽然现在没有人拥有你的DNA，但谁知道10年、20年后是否还会是这样呢？
Have you done a DNA test? Did you know what rights you were giving up? Let us know in the comments.
你做过DNA测试吗？你知道你放弃了什么权利吗？请在评论中告诉我们。
