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Scientists have made changes in human DNA that can be passed down from one generation to the next. The researchers say they took the step to try to prevent women from giving birth to babies with genetic diseases. But the research is raising a host of social and moral questions.

John Gurdon and Shinya Yamanaka discovered that every cell in our body — from skin and heart to brain and lung — can reinvent itself and become any other cell type. These stem cells have vast potential for drug development, for many diseases, like Alzheimer's, muscular dystrophy and diabetes.

The overwhelming majority of respondents to our online query said they would get their genome sequenced if they could afford it. Most also said they'd want to know everything it revealed.

Scientists have been using whole genome sequencing for over a decade, but it has yet to become a routine tool in the clinic. Two separate research groups showed progress in making diagnoses using in-depth genome analysis.

The prospect of lots of people plunging into their genomes makes many doctors very nervous. Some argue that for most people, genome sequencing could reveal false positives and be a big waste of time and money.

Doctors used genome sequencing to put a name to the mysterious cluster of symptoms that afflicted Christian Terry, 5. He's one of many patients now getting the test, which can cost as little as $1,000, to resolve undiagnosed illnesses. Doctors are also using it to sequence cancer and target treatment at the precise genetic mutations in a tumor.

Prominent geneticists are getting their own genomes decoded, revealing the benefits and risks.

Some experts are concerned that access to genomic information could stoke fears and invade privacy.

For decades, scientists thought that most of our genetic code was essentially useless filler between our genes. But the results of a massive project to understand this so-called junk DNA reveal that it contains switches that control how genes function.