Second, the unprecedented and often uncontrolled translation of genomic research into commercial genetic testing and into clinical settings highlights ongoing controversy over the nature and meaning of genomic information, for different populations, in different contexts. Uncertainty has always been a key characteristic of scientific knowledge, but avoidance of its implications is no longer so easy, now that large data sets and information-sharing have become pervasive throughout clinical trials. As other areas of biomedical research increasingly exploit the wealth of data made available by the new interoperability of biobanks, databases, and electronic medical records, these issues of uncertainty promise to become ubiquitous.
