The Great Breakup: The First Arrivals to the Americas Split Into Two Groups

Posted on by Zimmer

The New York Times, May 31, 2018

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Early inhabitants of the Americas split into two populations over 13,000 years ago, according to a new study of ancient DNA, and remained separated for thousands of years.

Eventually, somewhere, the two groups met again and began commingling. Today, their descendants inhabit a vast region stretching from Mexico to the southern tip of South America.

The research, published on Thursday in the journal Science, paints a complex picture of human migrations through the Americas. When people arrived in the Western Hemisphere from Asia, they didn’t just move to new territories and settle down. 

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Friday’s Elk, PUBLICATION DAY EDITION [INSERT FIREWORKS HERE!] May 29, 2018

Posted on by Matt Kristoffersen

Today, She Has Her Mother’s Laugh officially goes on sale. If you pre-ordered it (thanks!) it should be thumping on your welcome mat very soon. If you like it, please consider reviewing and rating it on Amazon, Goodreads, or your favorite book site.

I’ve been very busy the past few days spreading the word about the book. Here’s a quick run-down of things that may be of interest to you. (Forgive the abundance of exclamation marks. It’s an exciting day!) Continue reading “Friday’s Elk, PUBLICATION DAY EDITION [INSERT FIREWORKS HERE!] May 29, 2018” →

Genetic Intelligence Tests Are Next to Worthless

Posted on by Matt Kristoffersen

The Atlantic, May 29, 2018

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In 2016, I got my genome sequenced while I was working on a book about heredity. Some scientists kindly pointed out some of the interesting features of my genetic landscape. And then they showed me how to navigate the data on my own. Ever since, I’ve been a genomic wayfarer. Whenever I come across some new insight into the links between our genes and our lives, I check my own DNA. One day I’m inspecting a mutation that raises my risk of skin cancer. The next I’m discovering I have a variant for smooth teeth.

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Friday’s Elk, May 22, 2018

Posted on by Matt Kristoffersen
First Excerpt from “She Has Her Mother’s Laugh”

At long last, I can start sharing some of the stuff in my new book, which arrives in book stores one week from today. (You can pre-order it now.)

She Has Her Mother’s Laugh is all about heredity, including forms of heredity that don’t get as much attention as they deserve. This morning’s New York Times has an excerpt about one of those unexpected forms: our inner heredity. Our development into human beings begins with one fertilized egg dividing in two–into a pair of “daughter cells,” as scientists call them–which divide in turn. You can draw our entire body as a genealogy of mother and daughter cells. And in some of the body’s lineages, genes mutate, turning us into mosaics. We’re only starting to grapple with what this genetic diversity in our bodies means for our lives. Continue reading “Friday’s Elk, May 22, 2018” →

Every Cell in Your Body Has the Same DNA. Except It Doesn’t.

Posted on by admin

The New York Times, May 21, 2018

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James Priest couldn’t make sense of it. He was examining the DNA of a desperately ill baby, searching for a genetic mutation that threatened to stop her heart. But the results looked as if they had come from two different infants.

“I was just flabbergasted,” said Dr. Priest, a pediatric cardiologist at Stanford University.

The baby, it turned out, carried a mixture of genetically distinct cells, a condition known as mosaicism. Some of her cells carried the deadly mutation, but others did not. They could have belonged to a healthy child.

Continue reading “Every Cell in Your Body Has the Same DNA. Except It Doesn’t.” →