'Human Project' Study Will Ask 10,000 to Share Personal Data

Medical Xpress:

Wanted: 10,000 New Yorkers interested in advancing science by sharing a trove of personal information, from cellphone locations and credit-card swipes to blood samples and life-changing events. For 20 years.

Researchers are gearing up to start recruiting participants from across the city next year for a study so sweeping it's called "The Human Project ." It aims to channel different data streams into a river of insight on health, aging, education and many other aspects of human life.

[...]

They'll start with tests of everything from blood to genetics to IQ. They'll be asked for access to medical, financial and educational records, as well as cellphone data such as location and the numbers they call and text. They'll also be given wearable activity trackers, special scales, and surveys via smartphone. Follow-up blood and urine tests—and an at-home fecal sample—will be requested every three years.

Participants get $500 per family for enrolling, plus a say in directing some charitable money to community projects.

Researchers hope the results will illuminate the interplay between health, behavior and circumstances, potentially shedding new light on conditions ranging from asthma to Alzheimer's disease.

Source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-06-human-life.html
Image source: AP Photo/Frank Franklin II