A two-year-old girl in Yancheng, eastern China's Jiangsu
province, on Wednesday became one of a few Chinese people to
possess a gene identity card.
The Yangtse Evening News reported that the girl was
brought by her parents to a local high-tech company, where a card
carrying the girl's gene information was presented to the
family.
The card, about 8 by 5 centimeters big, looks like an ordinary
ID card printed with the young girl's photo, name and birth date.
Besides that, it has an extra series number which the company
claims to have produced based upon the recipient's 16 genetic
loci.
The company says unlike voice or fingerprint tags, such gene
codes are unique and are able to identify the holder, unless he or
she has an identical twin, from the world's other six billion
residents.
It comes in handy for parents to identify their child in case
they are separated for a long time, the company said.
It takes about 10 days and 900 yuan (US$121.9) to make such a
card.
In June 2002, a gene identification card with 24 loci debuted in
southwestern China's Chongqing Municipality.
(Xinhua News Agency December 13, 2007)