DNA Testing of Immigrants Is Unethical
The collection of genetic biodata for the reunification of families must safeguard individuals’ agency, provide meaningful informed consent, and protect privacy. DNA testing has been used for nearly…
Tag: dna
Were Neanderthals More Than Cousins to Homo Sapiens?
Scans compare a Neanderthal fossil (at left) to a modern human skull (right). Philipp Gunz/Max-Planck-Gesellschaft Around 200,000 years ago, in what is now northern Israel, a small band…
Things That Are Not Alive, but Which May Be Alive in a Certain Way: An Interdisciplinary Essay on a Relational Theory of Life
By Meredith Root-Bernstein, AgroParisTech, INRA § This blog post is adapted from a paper given at “Anthropology Off Earth,” Collège de France and l’Observatoire de Paris, 4-5 June…
How Some Tried—and Failed—to Kill “Race” in Latin America
DNA sequencing is now used extensively in medicine, forensic science, and explorations of ancestry. Andrew Brookes/Getty Images When the structure of DNA was first revealed in 1953, it…
Observations on Rastafari Cosmopolitics from the Caribbean
Rastafari-grounded and Caribbean imaginative reinventions have long influenced the evolution of Caribbean ethnography. They could inspire a decolonial anthropology for this century. “I am Ethiopian j…
Resisting Indigenous Erasure from Alcatraz Island to Elizabeth Warren
A critical look at anthropology and 50 years in the fight for Indigenous sovereignty (1969–2019). Indians must be redefined in terms that white men will accept, even if…
Top Articles of 2018
As the year winds down, Anthropology News rounds up our most popular articles of 2018. From critical reflections on the discipline and experiences of it, to grappling with…
BONUS: What Carl Zimmer Learned About DNA, Identity, and Heredity
Surprise! As a special holiday treat, the SAPIENS team is presenting this unedited conversation between SAPIENS host Chip Colwell and acclaimed science journalist Carl Zimmer about DNA, identity,…
Revisiting Geno-colonization: Senator Warren and “Native DNA”
I woke up this morning to the news that Senator Elizabeth Warren has released a DNA test “providing strong evidence” that she has a Native American ancestor 6-10…
Is Your DNA You?
[no-caption] David Williams/SAPIENS What does your DNA have to do with who you are? On a journey for answers, SAPIENS hosts Chip Colwell, Jen Shannon, and Esteban Gómez…
Written in Blood
How my research on DNA ancestry tests became fake news. When I was sent a link to a Snopes article asking, “Did DNA Testing Companies Admit to Altering…
About those Ancestry dot com commercials
In the fall 2017 quarter I kicked off my intro to cultural anthropology course with one of those Ancestry dot com videos. These are all over the place,…
Ten Skeletons Bury a Right-Wing Talking Point
Anglo-Saxon mythologies and culture continue to enchant many who live in the U.K. Andrew Parsons/Getty Images This article was originally published at The Conversation and has been republ…
How to make a good ad
There are two DNA ads running at the moment. They illuminate the art of advertising today. The first is called Testimonial: Livie and it’s for AncestryDNA.com. This is…
How Molecular Clocks Are Refining Human Evolution’s Timeline
Our cells have a built-in genetic clock, tracking time—but how accurately? Mauro Hiroshi Cannas/Flickr This article was originally published at The Conversation and has been republished u…
DNA and Indigeneity
DNA in the News Rapid developments in genetic technologies are allowing for innovative applications in archaeology and anthropology. Intriguing scientific studies hinting at population origins, moveme…
Still Holding Out for a Second Opinion: Carlos’s Story II
Back in March, I started a DNA experiment with five friends. I invited each of them to take a genetic ‘ancestry’ test – something that most of them had barely heard…
Nature, Nurture, and Mexicanidad: Tatiana’s Story II
Back in March, I started a DNA experiment with five friends. I invited each of them to take a genetic ‘ancestry’ test – something that most of them had barely heard…
Five DNA Tests, 100% Me, and Back to Square One
Back in March, I started a DNA experiment with five friends. I invited each of them to take a genetic ‘ancestry’ test – something that most of them had barely heard…
A Mainer’s Portrait of a Melting Pot: Kate’s Story II
Back in March, I started a DNA experiment with five friends. I invited each of them to take a genetic ‘ancestry’ test – something that most of them had barely heard…
Searching for Common Humanity in Dystopia: Evlondo’s Story II
Back in March, I started a DNA experiment with five friends. I invited each of them to take a genetic ‘ancestry’ test – something that most of them had barely heard…
On the Limits of Curiosity: Rodrigo’s Story II
Back in March, I started a DNA experiment with five friends. I invited each of them to take a genetic ‘ancestry’ test – something that most of them had barely heard…