EXPLAINER: Why would world leaders balk at giving Putin DNA?

By MALLIKA SEN
Associated Press

If knowledge is power, knowing the intimate secrets of one’s DNA could be the ultimate weapon. That might explain why the world leaders who hastened to Moscow in recent days for diplomatic talks seemed to balk at Russian-administered coronavirus tests. But this may be a case where imagination is getting a bit ahead of what science is actually capable of. Gene science may one day be a part of the arsenal for international espionage, but scientists say that day might still be a long way away.