A review of 'The Family That Couldn't Sleep' by D. T. Max, discussing its exploration of prion diseases and their impact, with updated perspectives on the book's conclusions. Longer summary

This review discusses 'The Family That Couldn't Sleep' by D. T. Max, a book about prion diseases published in 2006. The review covers the book's exploration of various prion diseases, including fatal familial insomnia, kuru, mad cow disease, and chronic wasting disease. It highlights the book's focus on the historical, scientific, and cultural aspects of these diseases, as well as the key figures involved in prion research. The reviewer also provides updated information and critiques some of the book's conclusions in light of more recent research. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander critically examines pharmacogenomic testing for antidepressants, particularly the GeneSight test, expressing skepticism about its current effectiveness and validity. Longer summary

Scott Alexander critically examines the field of pharmacogenomics for antidepressants, particularly focusing on the GeneSight test. He reviews the scientific evidence, discusses potential flaws in studies, and expresses skepticism about the current state and effectiveness of such testing. The post delves into the complexities of antidepressant metabolism, the challenges of predicting drug response, and the limitations of current genetic testing approaches. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander refutes PZ Myers' race car analogy against genetic engineering for intelligence, showing that high IQ positively correlates with many beneficial traits. Longer summary

Scott Alexander critiques PZ Myers' argument against genetic engineering for intelligence, which uses a race car analogy to suggest optimizing for intelligence might trade off against other important traits. Scott shows that, contrary to this intuition, high IQ correlates positively with many desirable traits like longevity, height, and health. He explores possible explanations for this, including heterozygosity advantages, mutational load, and trade-offs with traits important in evolutionary history but less so now. Scott concludes that while caution is warranted, the race car argument is likely less of an impediment to genetic engineering than it might seem. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander explains how to interpret 23andMe genetic data using SNPedia, listing various SNPs and their alleged effects while emphasizing the unreliability of such interpretations. Longer summary

Scott Alexander humorously explores how to use 23andMe genetic testing data 'irresponsibly' by looking up various SNPs (Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms) and their purported effects. He provides instructions on how to access raw genetic data from 23andMe and interpret it using SNPedia. The post then lists several interesting SNPs associated with traits like violence, empathy, anxiety, divorce risk, and longevity. Scott repeatedly emphasizes that these associations are often unreliable, exaggerated, or misinterpreted, and should be taken as entertainment rather than medical advice. Shorter summary