Books About DNA: DNA: Promise and Peril

by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei
Posted May 23, 2008 in DNA Quotes and Excerpts

DNA: Promise and Peril by Linda L McCabe and Edward RB McCabe

The genetic revolution has provided incredibly valuable information about our DNA, information that can be used to benefit and inform–but also to judge, discriminate, and abuse. An essential reference for living in today’s world, this book gives the background information critical to understanding how genetics is now affecting our everyday lives. Written in clear, lively language, it gives a comprehensive view of exciting recent discoveries and explores the ethical, legal, and social issues that have arisen with each new development.

Here is Kathy Johnston’s impression of the book as originally posted at GENEALOGY-DNA:

As I am sitting here thumbing through the book, I get the impression that it is well written. It touches on forensics, ethics, race, gender, patents, cloning, reproductive medicine, gene testing, engineering and health insurance policies. However, I think they completely missed the impact that genetic genealogy is having right now and will have in the future as more of us order tests on ourselves.

Dr. Edward McCabe is a co-director for the UCLA Center for Society and Genetics so if anyone should know about the social impact that amateur DNA research is having, he should know. But I think they missed the boat on this one. The authors stressed that recreational DNA research represents “an extremely small part of the genome” but I don’t think they realize how many tests are actually being ordered on extended family members.

These academicians never seem to get it when it comes to understanding pedigree collapse, extended family and surname research projects and how the Internet and globalization will be revolutionizing genealogy through DNA search engines and pedigrees as more and more people are tested. Think of all the retired people who are spending their money on this hobby and helping labs to build branches on the phylogenetic trees that previously only universities could do. In addition, I should think a major university with a huge public policy department like UCLA would be looking at the social and medical impact of genetic genealogy. Well, it may be good thing that we are not on their radar screen right now. We can grow undisturbed.

This is what the McCabes think about genealogy DNA testing:

These laboratory analyses are expensive. Studies indicate that an individual’s knowledge of his or her ancestry is relatively accurate. In medical genetics, we know that one of the least expensive and most powerful genetic tools available to us is a good family history. The decision to carry out DNA testing for ancestry will be up to the individual. A far less expensive and excellent alternative available to many of us is to learn about our ancestry from the elders in our families. In addition, relatives’ stories will have far more cultural meaning than biological measures of ancestry.

I was just surprised that they have not seen the explosion of DNA studies being performed by us so-called amateurs. Genealogy will eventually make its way into the academic circles as the researchers figure out they need better pedigrees to help them figure out the more complicated mechanisms of inheritance especially when they look more at epigenetics.

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