We've tried to find ourselves through introspection, exploration and of course, everyday luck. What’s new in our society is now, we have technology that can tell us, definitively, at least a part of who we are.
I plotted a trip to Ireland guided by online ancestry research, finding my great-grandmother’s family in Tipperary. And, after eleven excruciating days of waiting, following a simple blood test, I found out I did not carry a particular cancer gene mutation, BRCA, that could have been passed down to my daughters.
What do we learn about ourselves through genetic testing and research? As technology advances, how much more will we find out? What do we do with what we discover? And, what if we don’t always want to know?
Asking about our identity and our search for ourselves and our connections to others is what led us to this week’s show.
We’d love to hear about your own experience with 23andMe, ancestryDNA or delving into your past family history. Who are you? Email us at listen@ttbook.org and tell us all about it.
—Shannon