If life sciences is your religion, why not give the gift of genomics to your family and friends this Christmas, with these five fabulous conversation starters to liven up any festive dinner:

Would you consider using a genetic dating service?

Come the New Year, singletons everywhere will be vowing to make 2018 the year they find Miss/Mr Right. But would you ever consider using a dating service which finds matches for you based on your genetic make-up?

Strange but true, there are agencies out there that believe that social compatibility is only half of the ingredients needed for a successful romantic relationship – the other half depends on your biology. By comparing your genes to those of potential suitors, it’s possible to see whether you are biologically matched and destined to enjoy good chemistry and a higher chance of a successful long-term relationship. It may take the fun out of falling in love, but it would also have saved Bridget Jones a lot of heartache wouldn’t it?

If you could change one thing about your own genes, what would it be?

Our genes are our own individual blueprint which makes us who we are but if you could edit your own genes, what would you change? Wish you were born with blue eyes, an athletic physique or an amazing memory? Perhaps you have a condition like asthmas or diabetes that you would quite happily lived your life without. How much of these traits make us who we are? For a more positive spin on this, why not talk about the genetic traits you would wish to pass on to generations to come.

If you were offered a pre-natal genetic screening for your baby, would you have it?

Pre-natal screening is routine on the NHS, and expectant mothers are offered a range of screening tests to check for inherited conditions, infectious diseases, abnormalities and chromosome-related syndromes like Down’s, Edwards’s and Patau’s. As research progresses, we are getting closer to being able to screen babies to see what genes are being passed on from their parents, highlighting whether or not the child will be susceptible to particular inherited conditions.

If it carried no risks, would you take the test? Or does this kind of screening process bring us too close to ‘designer babies’ and ‘playing God’? This one could get deep, ensure drinks and nibbles are in plentiful supply. 

If there was only enough money in the world to fund one genomics research programme, what should it be?

Investment for life sciences at the moment is pretty high, but there may come a time where we need to focus our efforts in just one area. What would you choose? A cure for cancer, surely? But what about personalised medicine and treatments designed especially to work for your body, this could revolutionise healthcare? Or maybe you’d rather have eternal life, or a Christmas tree which never dropped its needles.

Could genomics be used to create superhumans?

You watch enough Marvel films to know that a bit of genetic mutation goes a long way towards creating superhumans, but is it really possible? With CRISPR, we potentially have the tools to edit out the anomalies we don’t want, but what could we add in to a genome? Science fact or science fiction, let your guests decide!

If you like to talk genomics, why not talk to us? Paramount Recruitment is one of the UK’s leading recruiter in the field, and is the only agency to place candidates into the Genomics England’s 100,000 Genomes project. Hungry to know more, call or email us today.