#100 Carl Zimmer on Human Heredity

This show is a landmark episode, number 100! I want to sincerely thank all you listeners, new and old, for tuning in. It’s been such a fantastic experience over the last 7 years to share news and interviews with you all and learn along with you. I hope you’ve enjoyed listening to the shows as much as I have have enjoyed recording and producing them.

Author Carl Zimmer joins me to discuss new and old hereditary concepts. He writes the Matter column for the New York Times and has contributed to The Atlantic, National Geographic, Time and Scientific America. He has won the Stephen Jay Gould Prize among many other honors for his journalism. Zimmer teaches science writing at Yale University. His books include Parasite Rex, Evolution: The Triumph of an Idea, Microcosm: E. coli and the New Science of Life, and his latest, She Has Her Mother’s Laugh: The Powers, Perversions, and Potential of Heredity which we discuss on this episode. She Has Her Mother’s Laugh has been named the 2018 science book of the year by the Guardian and Amazon. It was also included in 2018 book lists on The New York Times, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Review, Mental Floss, Science Friday among others.

On This Episode We Discuss:

Early History of our Understanding of Hereditary

Ever Changing Definition of Hereditary

Types of Hereditary including Vertical vs. Horizontal

Percentage of Shared DNA (or lack thereof) between Relatives

Human Interest in Ancestry

Learn more about Carl Zimmer on his website and stay updated with his writing by following him on Twitter and Facebook. You can also check out his book, She Has Her Mother’s Laugh on Amazon as well as the book he mentioned, “The Tangled Tree: A Radical New History of Life” by David Quammen.

If you are interested in joining a genetic counseling book club check out Book Zebras! Their April book is Resurrection Lily by Amy Byer Shainman who I interviewed back in episode 25 of the show.

If you enjoy this show, you might also be interested in the other healthcare podcasts I host and produce, Advancing Dentistry Podcast and Insight Says: A Mental Health Podcast. They are both monthly podcast where I interview experts in their respective fields.

Stay tuned for the next new episode of DNA Today on May 3rd, 2019. New episodes are released on the first Friday of the month. See what else I am up to on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and iTunes. Questions/inquiries can be sent to info@DNApodcast.com.