Make a Google search, and you’ll find hundreds of sources (including textbooks and leading scientists) describing DNA as the blueprint of life. The Oscar for Genetic Ravings goes to Advanced Technologies, an Indian DNA company whose website claims that genetic code is a “Divine Writing,” but genetic determinism-the idea that DNA will determine our fate and identity-is deeply ingrained in our culture. In the enthusiasm surrounding the progress of genomics, we end up overstating the real nature of our DNA and believing that it is more important than it is. With the pervasive success of this technology, however, also comes a reality distortion field. To write my book DNA Nation I tried out at least two dozen applications where I could use my DNA file. Much of the credit goes to direct-to-consumer genomics for shifting the public perception of DNA from “boring stuff” to fascinating, personal journey. Reading our DNA and using it online is incredibly informative and fun, and these tools have engaged the public into genetics to a level that science writers could have only dreamed of. DNA has become trendy, my social life has significantly improved, and it’s a wonderful time to be a genetic nerd. Everyone is hungry to learn about their DNA. Celebrities get their genes tested during talk shows, and YouTubers upload videos on their spit-into-the-tube experience.

after porn, are full of enthusiasts discussing chromosome markers like they were at a laboratory meeting. Genealogy websites, the second-most visited category in the U.S. Millions of people are spitting into a tube to get their genes analyzed and share the results on social networks. We were undateable, and the level of endogamy amongst us was startling. Back in the early 2000s, the only people who could get stuck in a dreary conversation about DNA, Mendel’s peas and alleles were four-eyed genetic nerds who wasted their lives in laboratories.

I still recall their unsettled looks when I answered “molecular biologist,” which would send them running to powder their noses. When I was a young student in Paris, the City of Love, girls at parties would what I did for a living. Remember that when you buy one of those genome testing kits-and eventually, you will

DNA Nation by Sergio Pistoi