Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain
the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in
Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles
and JavaScript.
The term 'reproductive techniques' describes any method or technology used to generate a new individual, including techniques used in selective breeding, cloning and assisted reproduction technologies.
Mary Herbert and Doug Turnbull discuss how the transmission of pathogenic mutations in mitochondrial DNA may be prevented by reproductive techniques designed to replace the mitochondria in eggs from affected women.
Finding partners through DNA profiles has yet to catch on, but the commercial sector for preconception and prenatal testing is booming. Malorye Allison Branca reports.