{"id":3470,"date":"2025-12-18T14:04:26","date_gmt":"2025-12-18T22:04:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/magazine\/?p=3470"},"modified":"2025-12-19T14:50:09","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T22:50:09","slug":"dna-mythbusters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/magazine\/dna-mythbusters\/","title":{"rendered":"DNA Mythbusters"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
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DNA Mythbusters<\/h1>\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n December 18, 2025<\/span>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n <\/div><\/div>\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
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Consumer DNA testing promises to reveal distant relatives, health risks and even personality traits. But the science is often misunderstood, with companies hyping what genes can truly tell us. As geneticist Michael \u201cDoc\u201d Edge<\/a> and economist Patrick Turley<\/a> point out, DNA is no oracle. It can\u2019t fully convey who we are or predict our future.<\/p>\n

Here are five common myths: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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1. Genetics define race<\/h2>\n

Race and ethnicity are principally social categories, not biological. Although some genetic variation is associated with the places where one\u2019s recent ancestors came from, U.S. Census categories are not a good description of that variation. \u201cAverage genetic differences between people who identify as members of different races are not nearly as large as many people imagine,\u201d says Edge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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2. There is a gene for intelligence<\/h2>\n

Traits such as intelligence are shaped by many genes \u2014 along with environment, opportunity and life experience. There is no single \u201cintelligence gene,\u201d and no gene for personality traits, either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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3. DNA determines your future<\/h2>\n

Genes can influence behavior and health in certain directions, but they don\u2019t dictate outcomes. \u201cDNA isn\u2019t destiny,\u201d says Turley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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4. Knowing your genes will make you healthier<\/h2>\n

In some cases, genetic testing may backfire. Discovering a lower risk for, say, heart disease could lead someone to adopt a less healthy lifestyle. \u201cA downside to genetic testing is that it could lead people to increase their risk,\u201d says Turley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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5. DNA is a biological family tree<\/h2>\n

In fact, our genome offers but a small glimpse into our ancestral past. We inherit only half of each parent\u2019s genetic material \u2014 and just a fraction of our ancestors\u2019 over time. After 10 generations, we may share no measurable DNA with most of our forebears.<\/p>\n

\u2014T.W.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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\n Who Do You Think You Are?\n <\/h2>\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n \n
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Consumer DNA testing is reshaping notions of family, identity and risk. But what it reveals \u2014 and what it doesn\u2019t \u2014 may surprise you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n \n

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\n USC Dornsife Magazine\n <\/h2>\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n \n
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Fall 2025 \/ Winter 2026<\/h2>\n

The Family Issue<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n \n
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\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n<\/div>\n\n\n <\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":970,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3470","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nDNA Mythbusters<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/magazine\/dna-mythbusters\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ingenious Medical Innovations That Have Saved Countless Lives Worldwide- USC Dornsife Magazine\" \/>\n<meta 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