Google’s Health Moonshot Comes Back to Earth

The first of 10,000 volunteers will soon walk into labs at Stanford and Duke to subject themselves to a two-day battery of tests. They’ll provide a blood sample for DNA sequencing and a stool sample for a gut bacteria scan; receive a chest X-ray and electrocardiogram; and take a psychological assessment. Participants will be asked if they’re willing to share electronic health records and insurance claims, and later, may be asked to share records of phone, text, and social media activity. All will go home with a sleep sensor and a special wristwatch meant to measure their heart rate, sweat, and steps for the next four years.

Opening on April 19, the study is called Baseline, as in a starting point for what healthy biometric data should look like. It’s the first serious public test for Verily Life Sciences, formerly Google Life Sciences. While Verily has separated from Google’s internet business within the Alphabet Inc. holding company, it’s taking a page from the playbook of its former parent, which aims to collect and organize information online. Verily wants to collect data from our bodies, using it to guide better health decisions.