I interview Dr.Adam Van Arsdale, a Professor of Anthropology at Wellesley College who researches how personal genomic information affects our understanding of ourselves and what it means to be human. In this episode, we explore how genetic testing, especially direct-to-consumer testing, can affect how we think about concepts like race, ancestry, and identity. We also consider the extractionist tendencies of genetics, leaving off with some examples of how Indigenous communities are resisting biocolonialism. 

Credits:

Sound bites of President Clinton and Francis Collins come from the NIH's recording of the Draft of the Human Genome Sequence Announcement at the White House. Licensed under Creative Commons.

Sound bites of President Clinton and Francis Collins come from the NIH's recording of the Draft of the Human Genome Sequence Announcement at the White House. Licensed under Creative Commons.

Clips of the Havasupai song come from the New York Times's video Blood Journey, a short documentary following the Havasupai scandal. Produced by Kassie Bracken and Amy Harmon.

Clips of Carletta Tilousi speaking about the Havasupai scandal come from a segment of NPR’s ‘Tell Me More’:  'Blood Victory' In Medical Research Dispute. Hosted by Celeste Headlee.