Genomic Science and Legal Identity: Emerging Challenges at the Intersection of Science, Law, and Individual Rights

Abstract

The rapid development of genomic science is transforming the scientific understanding of human identity, heredity, disease susceptibility, ancestry, reproduction, and biological relationships. Advances in next-generation sequencing, whole-genome sequencing, genome-wide association studies, polygenic risk scoring, forensic genomics, and genome editing have progressively expanded the informational capacity of DNA from a tool of biological identification into a multidimensional source of information about individuals and populations. This transformation presents a fundamental challenge to conventional conceptions of legal identity. Genetic information can establish biological relationships, assist criminal investigations, identify human remains, reveal ancestry and inherited disease risks, and contribute to personalized medicine, yet it does not provide a complete account of personal identity. The present article examines these developments primarily from a scientific perspective while analyzing their implications for law, privacy, autonomy, equality, and human rights. It adopts an interdisciplinary doctrinal and scientific-review methodology based on peer-reviewed genomic research, international scientific reports, and authoritative international instruments available up to December 2024.