Category: ScientificMatch

Better Loving Through Chemistry

Posted on February 8, 2010

Scientificmatch logo pouzivat NY TIMES – Feb 6 – A handful of dating sites are competing to impose some science on the quest for love by using different kinds of tests to winnow the selection process. ScientificMatch.com aims to create romantic chemistry via genetic testing. Then there’s Chemistry.com, started in 2006 by Match.com. Helen Fisher, the biological anthropologist who developed Chemistry.com’s questionnaire, says the site is designed to predict compatibility based on traits of temperament like adventurousness, decisiveness or empathy. Online dating is a $976M annual industry in the US, according to Marketdata Enterprises. FULL ARTICLE @ NY TIMES

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DNA Matchmaking

Posted on January 25, 2010

Scientificmatch logo pouzivat WASHINGTON POST – Jan 24 - Eric Holzle is the founder of ScientificMatch.com, one of a new generation of online dating companies that use genetic information to match singles with potential partners. ScientificMatch subscribers are asked to send in a DNA sample which is then analyzed and entered into a database. ScientificMatch launched its service in December 2007 in the Boston area and is planning to expand around the country through partnerships with traditional matchmakers. Holzle won't say how many users the site has or whether the company is profitable. FULL ARTICLE @ WASHINGTON POST

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DNA Matching

Posted on January 11, 2010

Dna matching picture MAIL ONLINE – Jan 11 – DNA matching offers the chance to pick a partner with the widest possible variety of genes and therefore the best immune system for any potential children,’ explains Eric Holzle, a former engineer-turned-matchmaker who runs ScientificMatch. DNA testing can ascertain whether or not you will have ‘a more satisfying sex life with less chance of cheating’. Both ScientificMatch and Swiss company, GenePartner.com, which provides a DNA matching service for a variety of dating sites in Europe and the U.S., cite the infamous 1995 ‘sweaty T-shirt’ experiment in which women were asked to sniff the T-shirts of similarly aged men and rate their body odours as proof that DNA matching works. ScientificMatch offers life membership site for ~£1,200. Meanwhile, GenePartner’s tests start at ~£60. FULL ARTICLE @ DAILYMAIL.CO.UK

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GenePartner, ScientificMatch.com Offer DNA Matchmaking

Posted on November 13, 2009

Couple dna testing ASSOCIATED PRESS – Nov 12 – Two genetic testing companies are offering matchmaking based on DNA tests for biological compatibility. The sample is acquired through a simple cheek swab for both companies. Various genetic characteristics are compared for compatibility. GenePartner has tested more than 1,000 people at $99 each. The validity of such compatibility tests has yet to be proven.

The full article was originally published at Associated Press, but is no longer available.

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Looking For Mr. Or Mrs. Right? Check Your DNA

Posted on August 3, 2009

Scientificmatch logo pouzivat CTV.CA — Aug 1 — ScientificMatch.com, an online matchmaking company, pairs up singles based on differences in their DNA. According to Eric Holzle, founder of ScientificMatch.com, research shows that people (and animals) are attracted to potential mates who have different immune system genes, which ensures healthier relationships and children. The service will match both heterosexual and same-sex couples, but it does have some restrictions. Women on the pill cannot sign up because oral contraceptives trick a woman into thinking she's pregnant, which causes her to seek out people with similar genes. People who were not raised by their biological parents very early in life are also exempt from signing up, because research has shown that adoptees often seek out people based on their adoptive parents' immune system genes.

The full article was originally published at CTV.ca, but is no longer available.

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DNA Dating

Posted on May 25, 2009

Dna dating1 SUNDAY TIMES — May 24 –  Dr Tamara Brown, a Croatian geneticist, has been investigating what creates that initial “spark” between two people, and she believes that the answer lies in smell. Her company, GenePartner, charges clients $99 for a genetic match. “We don’t claim to provide the ideal partner based purely on DNA,” Brown says. She adds that people also need to match on a social level — to have similar life goals, ideals and education levels. GenePartner is not the first company to use DNA testing. ScientificMatch started in December last year, about the same time as GenePartner, offering DNA matching for a lifetime membership fee of $1,995. As the testing is unregulated, there are fears of serious risk to privacy, that customers’ DNA results might be sold to insurance companies, for instance. In the U.S., the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (Gina), signed by President Bush last May, makes it illegal for employers and health insurers to use their employees’ or customers’ genetic information to discriminate against them. The states of California and New York have taken action against DTC companies, ruling that since genetic tests are medical tests, they can only be ordered by a medical doctor.

The full article was originally published at Times Online, but is no longer available.
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Dating Sites ID The Smell Of Love

Posted on May 7, 2009

Couple-smell DISCOVERY NEWS — May 6 — Basisnote and Scientific Match are developing technology to match couples based on the genetic components of the human immune system — and their odor. Studies have  shown that people are most likely to be attracted to the smells of those who have different histocompatibility genes than their own. With Basisnote, clients order a test and receive it two days later. Then they swab their cheeks and put the sample into a machine. Ten minutes later out pops a code of 0's and 1's. A client enters their unique code at Basisnote's Web site, and the software matches them to a person with a completely different immune system.

The full article was originally published at Discovery News, but is no longer available.

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Can Genes Help You Pick A Mate?

Posted on December 19, 2008

A-human-dna-sequence NEW SCIENTIST — Dec 19 — ScientificMatch offers to match couples according to scent-related aspects of their DNA profiles. By hooking you up with your biological match, the company promises a better sex life, more orgasms, a lower risk of cheating on each other, higher fertility and healthier children. GenePartner, based in Switzerland, also tests couples to determine their genetic compatibility and runs a dating service based on it. FULL ARTICLE @ NEW SCIENTIST

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It’s All In The Chemistry

Posted on November 24, 2008

Scientificmatch logo pouzivat THE TIMES — Nov 23 — Eric Holzle is so convinced of the theory that straight women are naturally attracted to men based on their immune systems that he created Scientificmatch.com, a dating website that pairs people by their immune systems. Holzle says that a recent University of New Mexico study shows that couples with complementary genetic immunity profiles have better sex lives, more intense orgasms, greater fertility and cheat less. David Altshuler, a geneticist at Harvard University, certainly believes there's something to it, but he rejected the notion that the best relationships begin with genetics. It's people's phenotype — meaning, their personality — not genotype, that applies to dating, he says. It's more important that a mate makes you laugh, cares for you, and shares your interests.

The full article was originally published at The Times, but is no longer available.

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Knowing Your Date’s DNA

Posted on November 6, 2008

Scientificmatch_logo_pouzivat JEWISH EXPONENT — Nov 6 — For users of ScientificMatch.com the search for love starts with cotton swabs of DNA. The nearly $2,000 process starts with taking a DNA sample from the cheeks and mailing it out for analysis, which takes about two weeks. While the DNA is being analyzed, members of the site fulfill the other two criteria of the matching process by specifying their values and preferences. ScientificMatch.com also conducts background checks to ensure security. Once the analysis is complete, members are allowed to see the profiles of those matches whose immune system genes, values and preferences are compatible.

The full article was originally published at Jewish Exponent, but is no longer available.

Mark Brooks: See our interview with the CEO of ScientificMatch here. GenePartner.com is the main competitor. Should we do a session on DNA based matchmaking at iDate?

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