Science

Tracked down by our genes

Author/Director	Philippe Borrel & Gilbert Charles
Producer	Dissidents (V.A.M.P)
Country	France
Length	53'
Year	2007

3 years after the human genome was mapped, scientists began trying to crack the deepest secrets of our identity. On the basis of the analysis of one hair or one cigarette butt, geneticists claim that they are able to tell if a person is of Jewish, African or Asian heritage; to know his skin colour, his risk for cancer… Now, private laboratories offer genetic tests for individuals curious to know about their distant ancestry or their predisposition for certain illnesses. This new field also attracts police interest: genetics is becoming an investigation tool for profiling. Is our freedom in danger?