Everyone on Earth is Related to Everyone Else

We have been told that our DNA is our identity and through this genome, we can learn about a person’s genetic information. From C.S.I. television shows to the FBI, DNA testing has found the identity of thousands if not millions of different people. It is quite remarkable that such a tiny piece of information could tell so much about an individual. However, scientists are finding out we aren’t so different after all. Many studies have been made to perfect this theory but it’s clearly something to watch out for in the near future. It isn’t as rare anymore to find individuals with mixed blood types, especially twins.

The New York Times article, “DNA DoubleTake” was a very interesting article that brought my attention. It definitely had knowledgeable information and interesting oversights. Our world is changing and science is changing with it. The site is very interactive with its very own comment section where anyone can share the article. There are also several hyperlinks on the webpage linking to other websites, news articles, etc. Right when you open to the page, a big image takes up half the screen. On the sides there are diagrams of parts of the human body. These graphic images are displayed to show genetic mutations that are found in specific areas of the human body and not found in others. There are only a number of them compared to the amount of people living on this planet today.

Print makes you imagine what is on the page. There is no clear-cut image of what something or someone is supposed to look like and everyone can have their own perspective. It is also very portable and handy. I can take a book or my kindle anywhere I wanted and sit down and enjoy myself. Images, is much like video where everything is viewed instantaneously. That imagination factor is gone because you are able to see everything on the screen for what it is. Images and video have that kind of connection with the audience that print does not. That old saying, “A picture says a thousand words” really is true and people try and decode its messages. Also, the interactivity of the website is very important because it gets people engaged with the material. People can share; link or just talk about the certain article which not only brings publicity but it is on command and people can get it right then. They also like innovation. That element of people doing or getting “the cool new thing” has been keeping others occupied to find something trendy, new and never done before. A necessity of today.  

Between the print and the imagery I couldn’t personally decide which one was better. They both had their own advantages and disadvantages but regarding the article the complement each other nicely. The images can be used as a “fall back” to the reading and vice versa. The information can be used together. It is amazing to conclude that we have come so far in technology that science has soared off the roof.  Whether it is good or bad, no one would have ever guessed it. Although we might have all the technology that we could possibly think of, scientists are proceeding cautiously because this is a new world we might be entering. DNA testing might not be as accurate as we once thought. The question is what’s next? If we cannot use DNA testing to identify people, then what will be the “cool new thing” that replaces it? What I would have appreciated more would be some kind of slideshow or video related to the topic of DNA and its complexity that make us unique in one way and similar in others.