DeCode Genetics, a company based in Iceland, revealed on Friday a brand new service that simply amazed both the scientists and the common people. Thanks to DeCodeMe, as the service was called, people will be able to find out many interesting things about themselves, such as whether they will get cancer or Alzheimer, for example.

This is not a joke, although it's hard to tell whether DeCodeMe is a good or an evil thing. DeCode Genetics has a strong record of discovering disease-causing genes and it decided to offer people a chance to look at their own DNA for finding out important information about their personal genome.

For less than $1000, everybody will now be able to subscribe to DeCodeMe and in just few week, after having sent a cheek swab to the company, the personal genome info is available. The personal DNA testing has been available for several years, but it has focused on a few genes; in contrast the Iceland-based company will test more than one million genetic variants so that people could acknowledge whether their genome could be associated with different diseases. Men will be able to find out even whether they are susceptible to baldness.

"We will include all the common diseases, including Alzheimer's," said DeCode’s chief executive, Kari Stefansson. "If, as a competent adult, you choose to look at your risk of developing Alzheimer's, that is your prerogative. But no one will force you to look at your Alzheimer's risk if you do not want to."

The new service will be available in Europe and North America. Despite the novelty it brings to us, DeCode will soon have several rivals, such as the Californian start-ups 23andMe and Navigenics, for example, which are about to launch similar services.

DeCode’s initiative brings both worries and joy for people. Even Dr. Stefansson admitted that “if you want to commit a crime, there is nothing we can do to stop you” stressing on the fact that one could abuse the system by simply sending someone else’s DNA for finding out his/her genetic weaknesses.

On the other hand some other scientists warned that at the moment there is not enough scientific knowledge about the link between genetic variation and diseases. Last but not least, people might worry because of privacy matters, as their personal genome information will be found on a password-controlled web site.

But maybe the most important question is whether people would want to search for this kind of information. Wouldn’t it be frightening to find out that someday you will suffer of Alzheimer?