In one, gene sequencing firm Complete Genomics announced that it had sequenced a whole human genome for $1,700 — a significant turn in the race to deliver an affordable, high-quality readout of a person’s entire DNA sequence.

In the other, members of a family known to carry a hereditary form of colon cancer discuss getting a genetic test — and some say they’d rather not know. “If it came back positive,” said one, “I think I would feel like it would be some kind of countdown.’’

People in the genetics world know that genetic information can provide valuable health insights now, and that many more will be found. To them, the idea of a full genome analysis is fascinating.

But out there in non-genetics land, others aren’t so sure. Many people continue to believe that DNA determines one’s fate, despite all the evidence to the contrary. For most of us, genetics is only one of several important factor in our health. But in the realm of ideas, the messages of Gattaca still hold sway.

That dictomy is what makes genetics so fascinating, and so difficult to bring to everyday life. The prospect of personal genetic knowledge hits people at a deeply personal, emotional level, raising issues of identity, free will, and one’s hopes for the future. Many people aren’t sure they want to throw a DNA readout into that mix.

In an excellent commentary last week, Hank Greely, an expert in the legal and social issues surrounding genetics,  pointed out all the ways that we’re not ready to handle genetic knowledge. I’d take it one step further — I’m not sure many people are ready even to discover their genetic makeup, let alone figure out how to handle the information once they have it.

When the low-cost genome race is won, it won’t ultimately be genomes that are sequenced, but people. Without more accounting for the human factor, that fact may leave those in the sequencing competition wondering where to go after they’ve crossed the finish line.

Some answers to this dilemma are out there, in the communities of people who’ve already made important decisions based on genetic information. We’ll talk more about some of those solutions in upcoming posts.

In the latest online edition of Nature Genetics, researchers at powerhouse genetics center Cold Springs Harbor Laboratory report that they have identified an important mutation that, while rare, significantly increases a person’s risk of developing schizophrenia. (If the Nature Genetics looks like only so much jargon, you can find a more readable overview here instead.)

In schizophrenia genetics, it’s becoming increasingly clear that numbers matter.

This recently-identified mutation comes in the form of a copy number variant — a place on the genome where the number of bases or genes differs from one individual to another. This latest schizophrenia-related mutation sits on chromosome 16, and people who have an extra copy of the relevant region of that chromosome appear to be almost 15 times more likely to develop schizophrenia, according to the study. The study augments previous work on the role of copy number variants in this condition.

In our book, we talk about genetics and a number of different mental health and developmental conditions in Chaper 7, and provide some background on copy number variants in Chapter 9.

Gene therapy — the use or manipulation of genes to address disease — doesn’t get much attention in general health news. There were notable failures and problems early on, and since then, efforts have been more low-key.

But every now and then, a new study makes it clear that gene therapy researchers keep trying, and sometimes succeed.

A new study in The Lancet found that in patients with an inherited vision disorder called LCA, gene therapy improved eyesight, especially in children. (Tip for all non-nerds: If you find the study in The Lancet a bit too heavy on medical and genetic jargon, you can find a more readable overview here.)

The usual cautions apply here. LCA is a rare condition. This study was small and early-stage, involving only 12 patients. More research is required.

But it’s also an indication of how gene therapy is likely to proceed. Innovations will emerge gradually, one condition at a time, but they will come. As The Lancet notes, one upcoming challenge will be getting patients genotyped (having their genetic makeup analyzed) so that it’s easier to know who might benefit. In our book, we have more background on gene therapy in Chapter 9. In our next edition, we’d like to include more information on vision disorders, as many common ones have a strong genetic component.