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From blood memory to genetic memory, and the emergence of Native American DNA
Published in Joanna Ziarkowska, Indigenous Bodies, Cells, and Genes, 2020
It is precisely the refusal to account for contemporary manifestations and vibrancies of Indigenous identities that characterizes genomic definitions of authentic, sought-for indigeneity. Instead, they are focused on biological descent and relations between different groups and their progression across time and space. Thus, Indigenous groups are transformed into population-based categories and their blood is sampled to obtain information about ancient migratory patterns. This approach is predicated on the concept of what TallBear calls “disappearing indigene” which anticipates a complete disappearance of Indigenous peoples and, therefore, gives urgency to the project of collecting their blood samples. The second ideologically motivated narrative utilized in population genetics and related fields is the theory of the common origins of all humans in Africa. Alluding to the theory of the so-called “Mitochondrial Eve,” which postulates the presence of the single genetic mother of the entire humanity, TallBear demonstrates how this seemingly positive narrative of inclusion ignores the highly politicized and racialized colonial histories of Europe, America, and Africa. The way how black and Indigenous bodies were represented as primordial and on a lower pier of civilizational reveals the inconsistencies of the “we-are-all-related” narrative (TallBear, “Genomic” 513–20). More importantly, TallBear draws attention to how discourses of genomic indigeneity may be potentially used to challenge Indigenous peoples’ claims to self-determination. The way in which genetic indigeneity comes to dominate thinking about Native identities in political and legal contexts provides telling examples of the dangers TallBear articulates.
She Has Her Mother’s Laugh: The Powers, Perversions, and Potential for Heredity
Published in Psychiatry, 2020
One particularly interesting aspect of She Has Her Mother’s Laugh is Zimmer’s approach to illustrating ancestral histories and even examination of the human genome, by using his own history and experiences as engaging and accessible examples. In an effort to explore the possibility of genetic variants, and how they may influence his and his descendants’ lives, Zimmer worked with scientists at Illumina to have his genome sequenced and learn what it revealed. The concept of heredity, if defined by sharing strands of DNA with ancestors, is complicated by the notion that, over time, lengths of DNA may be cut into smaller pieces and mixed with the DNA from ancestors that are not commonly shared between relatives, influenced by how distantly related the pair is. This of course results in an ever-growing number of ancestors as you look back over generations. However, it may also reflect increasingly less genetic connection from one ancestor to another depending on what strands of DNA are shared. Alternatively, however, “everyone alive a thousand years ago who has any descendants today is an ancestor of every living person of European descent.” Zimmer reports that scientists have been able to draw a tree that illustrates the paths of all of humanity’s known mitochondrial DNA, and by following the mutations along the branches, have identified the age of the woman, named Mitochondrial Eve, carrying the original DNA living in Africa about 157,000 years ago. Interestingly, efforts to similarly trace the Y chromosome of all living men identified the so-called Y Chromosome Adam from 190,000 years ago, at the beginning of our species in Africa. It is an exciting, but slightly overwhelming prospect. Zimmer also interestingly cites the work of paleoanthropologists who, through the use of DNA found in fossils, can provide us with additional clues of migration patterns and genetic relationships among populations.
Twelve tips for developing and implementing a medical education Twitter chat
Published in Medical Teacher, 2020
Andrew J. Admon, Viren Kaul, Sushma K. Cribbs, Elizabeth Guzman, Odalys Jimenez, Jeremy B. Richards
It is helpful to participants for the organizer to state guidelines for the Twitter chat at the outset, following the introduction of the moderators (Figure 2) (Mitochondrial Eve (@BrowofJustice) 2018). We advise having a template of common rules that can be used in any Twitter chat. A code of conduct, privacy policy, and intent to use tweets from the chat for research purposes can be posted on the chat’s website or blog, and the link shared with the participants (@AgencyNurse 2012).