When a NYT Article Stirs up Confusion about Reproductive Genetics

Certified genetic counselor Brianne Kirkpatrick discusses the recent New York Times article “When a DNA Test Says You’re a Younger Man, Who Lives 5,000 Miles Away.” How surprising is this story? What are the implications for law enforcement? Should a bone marrow or stem cell transplant recipient be worried about passing on their donor’s DNA rather than their own DNA to any children they may have? (Spoiler alert.. No… Brianne will explain why.)

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Article Discussed

Murphy, Heather. “When a DNA Test Says You’re a Younger Man, Who Lives 5,000 Miles Away.” New York Times, December 7, 2019. 

Kirkpatrick, Brianne. “Responding to the New York Times coverage of the case of a bone marrow recipient with altered DNA results.” WatershedDNA blog. December 9, 2019. 

Related Resources

Genotypecast episode - DNA Donations: Implications to Consider

Kirkpatrick, Brianne. “How to test your DNA (even if you’ve had a stem cell transplant).” WatershedDNA blog. November 13, 2018.  

Kirkpatrick, Brianne. “Umbilical Cord Blood Donation and Ancestry Testing.” WatershedDNA blog. September 9, 2019. 

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