City Libraries, City of Gold Coast

The lost family, how DNA testing is upending who we are, Libby Copeland

eng

Includes bibliographical references (pages 277-278) and index

illustrations

index present

non fiction

The lost family

bibliography

Libby Copeland

how DNA testing is upending who we are

You swab your cheek or spit in a vial, then send it away to a lab somewhere. Weeks later you get a report that might tell you where your ancestors came from or if you carry certain genetic risks. Or the report could reveal long-buried family secrets and upend your entire sense of identity. Soon a lark becomes an obsession, a relentless drive to find answers to questions at the core of your being, like "Who am I?" and "Where did I come from?" Welcome to the age of home genetic testing. In The Lost Family, journalist Libby Copeland investigates what happens when we embark on a vast social experiment with little understanding of the ramifications. She explores the culture of genealogy buffs, the science of DNA, and the business of companies like Ancestry and 23andMe, all while tracing the story of one woman, her unusual results, and a relentless methodical drive for answers that becomes a thoroughly modern genetic detective story. Gripping and masterfully told, The Lost Family is a spectacular book on a big, timely subject

Prologue -- Alice is not Alice -- Crude beginnings -- Somebody ought to start a business -- Your truth or mine? -- Non-paternity events -- Alice and the double helix -- Eureka in the chromosome -- Search angels -- 27 percent Asia central -- What to claim -- The mystery of Jim Collins -- The simplest explanation -- The American family -- Your genes are not yours alone -- Late night -- Alice redux -- Where we're going

How DNA testing is upending who we are