Your ancestry is a lot more than just DNA
🧬 When was the last time you researched your family?
We all want to know where we come from. If you’ve ever told someone you want to learn more about your ancestry (as I have) they’ll probably point you toward 23andMe, the genetic testing company that went public in 2021 and was briefly valued at $6 billion (or about $1 billion more than what Reddit is eyeing as a valuation for its expected IPO later this year).
It turns out 23andMe is now worth almost $0. I’ve never spit into one of their tubes, but I can see why. Because DNA tests only need to be done once, 23andMe has a business model that doesn’t attract repeat customers. Also, the data isn’t placed in context or paired with genealogical records, so it’s not very meaningful. “It powered a few cocktail conversations,” says one investor, but not much else.
DNA is just one data point, not the full story.
On Medium, genealogist Megan Smolenyak — who’s written six books on ancestry, including Hey America, Your Roots Are Showing — contextualizes genetic research into something more nuanced. Smolenyak digs through hundred-year-old census records to uncover Kanye West’s great uncle who fought as a free Black soldier in the U.S. Civil War. She pores over ship manifests to track down Joe Biden’s ancestors, who worked as civil servants in 19th century Ireland, and writes: “I’ve long believed that families pass more than just physical traits through the generations.”
I’m going to occasionally put writing prompts into these digests. If you do write something, add the “Daily Edition” topic so I can see it (and so you can see each other’s stories). Here’s one: When was the last time you researched your family? What did you find out? Start writing.
What else we’re reading
- “Most residents in our retirement community assume it is too late for lifestyle modifications” to matter, but an 82-year-old physician on Medium proves them wrong. Exercising (even brisk walking) at age 80+ can add years to your life.
- Sivan Hermon, former Director of Engineering at Google, argues most people shouldn’t be managers. Real leadership means caring about your team’s success more than your own, which is difficult for many would-be managers to accept.
- Communications advisor Brooke Hammerling, who runs Pop Culture Mondays, pulls together the only Grammys roundup you’ll ever need, featuring Luke Combs’ pinch-me smile as he registers that he’s performing next to Tracy Chapman.
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Written by Harris Sockel
Edited and produced by Scott Lamb & Carly Rose Gillis
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