The science of genetics-based dating is dubious at best. If you are lucky
Wired reports that a new dating app sends users a swab kit in order to “match potential mates based on genetic and social compatibility”.
But Wired also correctly explains that “the science of genetic compatibility applied to dating is dubious at best”. If you are lucky, I add.
Imagine the capability of reliably finding your best mate, according to whatever combination of sociogenetical algorithms science, and nothing else, can put together. Then spot the difference with the state of the art in Precision Animal Breeding:
“The state of the art of animal breeding is based on integrating aspects of many sciences and technologies, with the degree of sophistication varying considerably between the different areas of interest and activities. The key scientific inputs range from genetics (both quantitative and molecular), statistics and computing science, information technology, and the physiology and endocrinology underlying reproduction and fertility.”
Romance wants uncertainty. Commitment requires acceptance of risk, and one may argue that it’s not commitment, otherwise. It is hard to imagine a better way to kill off dating than a “science of applied compatibility applied to dating” that has actually advanced to the point of being a more or less exact science.
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I am Marco Fioretti, tech writer and aspiring polymath doing human-digital research and popularization.
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