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Parts of your genetic identify can now be stored in a bar code. Third Wave
Technologies of Madison, Wisconsin, has developed a genetic screening method,
called Cleavage Fragment Length Polymorphism, that represents DNA samples as bar
code patterns. A single strand of DNA is searched at high speed for folds that
indicate particular chemical sequences, and these data are then encoded. Third
Wave claims its method is faster and almost 80 per cent cheaper than
conventional screening techniques, which record individual base pairs. Comparing
codes will allow researchers to quickly spot genetic mutations and will help in
the treatment of hereditary diseases.