Last summer, I found a way to get my genome sequenced--and to get my hands on the raw data.
I then enlisted a couple dozen scientists to join me on a trip into my DNA, pushing beyond standard genetic counseling to discover the weirdness the lurks in all our genomes. I encountered ancient viruses, Neanderthal genes, broken genetic switches, and genes that protect me from diseases.
The experience was so rich and rewarding that I ended up writing a three-part series about it for Stat. The first part will come out on Stat Monday morning. The next two will come out the following Mondays. I hope you enjoy it! (And for scientists and other genome junkies, I'm going to set up a parallel site where all the data will be freely available.)
On Monday around 9:30 am ET I'm going to talk about the series on "The Takeaway." I'll also be talking about it in other venues in the days to come. I'll post updates on Twitter and Facebook, as well as in next week's newsletter.
July 31: Plenary lecture at the annual meeting of the Botanical Society of America in Savannah: "Plants Are Weird: Epigenetics, Journalism, and the Alien Beauty of Botany"
September 8: University of Nebraska. Lecture: A Journey to the Center of the Brain. Details to come
January 28-29, 2017 Rancho Mirage Writers Festival
You can also follow me on Twitter, Facebook , LinkedIn, and Google+. And there's always carlzimmer.com.
Best wishes, Carl
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