In Those Genes
In Those Genes
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In Those Genes is a podcast that uses genetics to decode the lost histories AND futures of African descended Americans through the lens of Black culture.
Available episodes
Newest first
Oldest first
May 3, 2022
Baby Got Black
There’s a commonly held belief that Black folks are thicker, bigger, and carry more fat than others…but where did this idea that our bodies only look a certain way come from? Join us as we disentangle fact from oftentimes fat-phobic fiction when it comes to assumptions about how our bodies are shaped.
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In our Season 2 finale, "Baby Got Black", we dissect whether here is a genetic difference between the body shape of Black folks compared to other populations. Black women and men have consistently been exoticisized for their unique body features. We explore the genetics behind this starting with a publication by Dr. Jeff on the genetics of body shape and tell the historical stories behind Venus Hottentot (Sarah Baartman).
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In Those Genes is an educational podcast that contains explicit language that might be difficult for some to hear. No worries, we got you! You can still get all the facts dropped in our cleaned transcript we affectionately call The Nucleus that will be posted soon.
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This is our last episode for Season 2, thanks for being part of the fam! Be sure to follow us on social media to stay up-to-date on Season 3.
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Want to learn more about the guests on this episode? Check out their work below.
Da'Shaun L. Harrison,@DaShaunLH (Twitter), https://dashaunharrison.com/. Da'Shaun recently published a book on the overlap between anti-fatness and anti-blackness — Belly of the Beast: The Politics of Anti-fatness as Anti-blackness. Here’s where you can get a copy: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/670607/belly-of-the-beast-by-dashaun-harrison/
We also recommend you check out Da’Shaun’s reading list on fat studies, body and desirability politics: https://dashaunharrison.com/fat-studies-body-and-desirability-politics-a-reading-list/ + this video from PBS on why diets fail: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLtUrvnmOfc&t=1s
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Dr. Sabrina Strings, @SaStrings (Twitter) https://www.sabrinastrings.com/. Dr. Strings is the author of Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia (NYU Press) – a book that was instrumental to this episode. Here’s where you can get a copy: https://nyupress.org/9781479886753/fearing-the-black-body/
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Want to unpack this episode with other In Those Genes Family and like minded folks? If so, be sure to come to our after show, In Our DNA ( https://kinkofa.com/inourdna/ ), hosted by our good friends over at Kinkofa (https://kinkofa.com/ ) every other Wednesday (the week following an episode drop) at 7:30PM EST. Register here, https://lu.ma/INOURDNA !
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Kinkofa is the future of genealogy. Connect to culturally-relevant tools, resources, and support needed to uncover your unique #familyhistory. Join their community here, https://kinkofa.com/community/!
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Making a podcast ain’t cheap. And as an independently funded podcast, we depend on our community to sustain us. Please consider donating $5, $10, or $20 to In Those Genes through our PayPal or commit to a monthly donation through our Patreon, if you’re able.
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PayPal: https://paypal.me/inthosegenes
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/inthosegenes
.
If a monetary donation isn’t in the cards you can support us by rating and writing a review of the podcast, following us on social media, and sharing this podcast with everyone you know!
.
No matter how you show your support, thank you fam <3 We appreciate you. You can formally join the family by visiting www.inthosegenes.com and signing up to get email updates including our Nucleotide Newsletter.
.
Follow us on Twitter/Instagram: @inthosegenespod
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Mar 9, 2022
Blackletes Fact & Fiction
This week we travel to 1989 to a conversation with Dr. Edwards and NBC news anchor Tom Brokaw and we bring in the science we learned last week about what role genetics has in athletic ability to this critical conversation about Black superior athletes.
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Blackletes Fact and Fiction dissects the claims made in the NBC News Tonight broadcast, “Black Athletes Fact and Fiction” featuring our guest from last week, Dr. Harry Edwards. We use the scientific method as a basis to critique the claims made then with available genetic technology at the time as well as what is available now. We also hear Dr. Edward’s sociologist expertise then and now critiquing the segment.
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You can watch the full broadcast here, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdN9DDZqabQ
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In Those Genes is an educational podcast that contains explicit language that might be be difficult for some to hear. No worries, we got you! You can still get all the facts dropped in our cleaned transcript we affectionately call The Nucleus here, https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Htc1qZSTH9g3lF9EydHhZEsdxjs4W90R/view?usp=sharing
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As a reminder this season airs every OTHER week.
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Want to learn more about the guests on this episode? Check out his work below.
Dr.Harry Edwards @@drharryedwards (Twitter)
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Want to unpack this episode with other In Those Genes Family and like minded folks? If so, be sure to come to our after show, In Our DNA ( https://kinkofa.com/inourdna/ ), hosted by our good friends over at Kinkofa (https://kinkofa.com/ ) every other Wednesday (the week following an episode drop) at 7:30PM EST. Register here, https://lu.ma/INOURDNA !
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Kinkofa is the future of genealogy. Connect to culturally-relevant tools, resources, and support needed to uncover your unique #familyhistory. Join their community here, https://kinkofa.com/community/ !
.
Making a podcast ain’t cheap. And as an independently funded podcast, we depend on our community to sustain us. Please consider donating $5, $10, or $20 to In Those Genes through our PayPal or commit to a monthly donation through our Patreon, if you’re able.
.
PayPal: https://paypal.me/inthosegenes
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/inthosegenes
.
If a monetary donation isn’t in the cards you can support us by -- rating and writing a review of the podcast, following us on social media, and sharing this podcast with everyone you know!
.
No matter how you show your support, thank you fam <3 We appreciate you. You can formally join the family by visiting www.inthosegenes.com and signing up to get email updates including our Nucleotide Newsletter.
.
Follow us on Twitter/Instagram: @inthosegenespod
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Feb 23, 2022
Blackletes
Serena Williams. Usian Bolt. Michael Jordan. Some of the world’s strongest, fastest, and most decorated athletes are Blackity Black. Sometimes people chalk this up to genetics, claiming that this sort of extraordinary athleticism is unique to Black folks’ ancestry. Is there any truth to that claim? In this episode, we untangle what role genetics has in athletic ability and map out how Black Americans came to be viewed as superior athletes in the first place.
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Blackletes explores the genetics behind athleticism with sports culture and biomechanist experts. We understand why there is an overrepresentation of Black athletes during certain periods of time vs others and explore if that difference is cultural or innate ability drive physical ability for competitive sports. To do this, we take a deeper look at the science and culture to develop a historical and present day narrative as a basis for trying to disentangle whether athleticism could be traced to Blackness. Are there unique qualities of phenomenal athletes like Serena Williams, Michael Jordan, or Simone Biles that are not seen in other groups of non-Black athletes that can be explained by genetics?
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In Those Genes is an educational podcast that contains explicit language that might be be difficult for some to hear. No worries, we got you! You can still get all the facts dropped in our cleaned transcript we affectionately call The Nucleus here, https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Htc1qZSTH9g3lF9EydHhZEsdxjs4W90R/view?usp=sharing
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As a reminder this season airs every OTHER week.
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Want to learn more about the guests on this episode? Check out their work below.
Dr.Harry Edwards @@drharryedwards (Twitter)
Dr. Erica Bell @BellePhd (Twitter). Learn more about Dr. Bell’s work: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Erica-Bell-8
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Want to unpack this episode with other In Those Genes Family and like minded folks? If so, be sure to come to our after show, In Our DNA ( https://kinkofa.com/inourdna/ ), hosted by our good friends over at Kinkofa (https://kinkofa.com/ ) every other Wednesday (the week following an episode drop) at 7:30PM EST. Register here, https://lu.ma/INOURDNA !
.
Kinkofa is the future of genealogy. Connect to culturally-relevant tools, resources, and support needed to uncover your unique #familyhistory. Join their community here, https://kinkofa.com/community/ !
.
Making a podcast ain’t cheap. And as an independently funded podcast, we depend on our community to sustain us. Please consider donating $5, $10, or $20 to In Those Genes through our PayPal or commit to a monthly donation through our Patreon, if you’re able.
.
PayPal: https://paypal.me/inthosegenes
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/inthosegenes
.
If a monetary donation isn’t in the cards you can support us by -- rating and writing a review of the podcast, following us on social media, and sharing this podcast with everyone you know!
.
No matter how you show your support, thank you fam <3 We appreciate you. You can formally join the family by visiting www.inthosegenes.com and signing up to get email updates including our Nucleotide Newsletter.
.
Follow us on Twitter/Instagram: @inthosegenespod
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Feb 8, 2022
A Tribute to Uncle Warren
Oral history is such an integral part of our family history and our collective story as African descendents; without our elders passing this history to us much of our Black History would remain unknown. This Black History Month, we revisit an episode from Season 1 that features one of my newest ancestors, the late “Uncle Warren” and other elders in my hometown of New Orleans as they discuss their views and concerns about commercial genetic testing.
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Bonus Episode - “A Tribute to Uncle Warren- Re-airing of “Ion Trust Dem People from Season 1” - In this episode Sam and I travel to my hometown-- New Orleans to hear the perspective of our elders' concerns around privacy within the context of direct to consumer genetic testing companies. We go deep into how to teach our elders what they need to know when taking consumer genetic testing--what to look for and break it down step by step. We address their concerns and even get serenaded by one of our elders, LOL! We will also learn how you can be identified by the forensic scientist using your DNA and of course we have affirmations! .
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As a reminder this season airs every OTHER week.
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Making a podcast ain’t cheap. This Black History Month, we’re asking you – our community – to donate $10, $25, $50 or whatever you can to help cover our production costs for a single episode of Season 3. Your donation will cover the cost of things like the salaries of our three producers, our fact checker, music composer, audio engineering, social media, marketing and stipends for our college interns.
Black History Month Funding Campaign, https://gofund.me/53180694
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You can also support In Those Genes through our PayPal or commit to a monthly donation through our Patreon, if you’re able.
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PayPal: https://paypal.me/inthosegenes
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/inthosegenes
.
If a monetary donation isn’t in the cards you can support us by rating and writing a review of the podcast, following us on social media, and sharing this podcast with everyone you know!
.
No matter how you show your support, thank you fam <3 We appreciate you. You can formally join the family by visiting www.inthosegenes.com and signing up to get email updates including our Nucleotide Newsletter.
.
Follow us on Twitter/Instagram: @inthosegenespod
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Jan 25, 2022
The R&B Experiment
It isn’t hard to point out the person in the room who is clapping off beat. But how can we use the scientific method to study why some folks are rhythmically coordinated and others not? How does one’s ancestry play into this? In this bonus episode, we head to the In Those Genes lab with neuroscientist AZA Allsop, MD, PhD to map out a hypothetical study using genetics and neurology that could help explain why some of us can catch a beat and others not.
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Be sure to listen to the first part of this episode! Episode 4: R&B: Rhythm and Blackness: https://pod.link/1489257965/episode/7fae62b2aad7a9434f42ebd315e127a2
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In Those Genes is an educational podcast that contains explicit language that might be difficult for some to hear. No worries, we got you! You can still get all the facts dropped in our cleaned transcript we affectionately call The Nucleus that will be posted soon.
.
As a reminder this season airs every OTHER week.
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Want to learn more about Dr. AZA Allsop? Check out their work below.
Dr. AZA Allsop, @DR_tr3 (Twitter). Dr. Allsop is also a multi-instrumentalist – listen to some of their music here: https://www.azafortheculture.com/about-1
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Kinkofa is the future of genealogy. Connect to culturally-relevant tools, resources, and support needed to uncover your unique #familyhistory. Join their community here, https://kinkofa.com/community/!
.
Making a podcast ain’t cheap. And as an independently funded podcast, we depend on our community to sustain us. Please consider donating $5, $10, or $20 to In Those Genes through our PayPal or commit to a monthly donation through our Patreon, if you’re able.
.
PayPal: https://paypal.me/inthosegenes
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/inthosegenes
.
If a monetary donation isn’t in the cards you can support us by rating and writing a review of the podcast, following us on social media, and sharing this podcast with everyone you know!
.
No matter how you show your support, thank you fam <3 We appreciate you. You can formally join the family by visiting www.inthosegenes.com and signing up to get email updates including our Nucleotide Newsletter.
.
Follow us on Twitter/Instagram: @inthosegenespod
playlist_add
Jan 11, 2022
R&B: Rhythm & Blackness
We all got that one friend that just can’t seem to catch the beat. And yes…yes, they usually are. But is rhythm really a thing you either have or you don’t? Are some of us just born with a rhythm and others not? Could this be explained by genetics? In this episode, we break down what rhythm actually is, and talk to experts who help us understand how neuroscience, genetics, and culture shape the conversation around Black people and our relationship to rhythm and music.
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Episode 4: R&B- “Rhythm and Blackness” dives deep into the notion that Black people have rhythm and that it is genetic. We speak to geneticists, neuroscientists, and music experts to better understand if there is a cultural or biological difference between the social construct of race and catching the beat! We will test this hypothesis through an interactive experiment and use music in our community to elicit feelings and memories of some classic tunes that started trends in popular dance culture we see in America today.
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In Those Genes is an educational podcast that contains explicit language that might be difficult for some to hear. No worries, we got you! You can still get all the facts dropped in our cleaned transcript we affectionately call The Nucleus that will be posted soon.
.
As a reminder this season airs every OTHER week.
.
Want to learn more about the guests on this episode? Check out their work below.
Dr. Fredara Hadley @fredaraMareva (Twitter), http://fredaramhadley.com/
Dr. AZA Allsop, @DR_tr3 (Twitter). Dr. Allsop is also a multi-instrumentalist – listen to some of their music here: https://www.azafortheculture.com/about-1
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Want to unpack this episode with other In Those Genes Family and like minded folks? If so, be sure to come to our after show, In Our DNA ( https://kinkofa.com/inourdna/ ), hosted by our good friends over at Kinkofa (https://kinkofa.com/ ) every other Wednesday (the week following an episode drop) at 7:30PM EST. Register here, https://lu.ma/INOURDNA !
.
Kinkofa is the future of genealogy. Connect to culturally-relevant tools, resources, and support needed to uncover your unique #familyhistory. Join their community here, https://kinkofa.com/community/!
.
Making a podcast ain’t cheap. And as an independently funded podcast, we depend on our community to sustain us. Please consider donating $5, $10, or $20 to In Those Genes through our PayPal or commit to a monthly donation through our Patreon, if you’re able.
.
PayPal: https://paypal.me/inthosegenes
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/inthosegenes
.
If a monetary donation isn’t in the cards you can support us by rating and writing a review of the podcast, following us on social media, and sharing this podcast with everyone you know!
.
No matter how you show your support, thank you fam <3 We appreciate you. You can formally join the family by visiting www.inthosegenes.com and signing up to get email updates including our Nucleotide Newsletter.
.
Follow us on Twitter/Instagram: @inthosegenespod
playlist_add
Dec 30, 2021
Black Don't Crack
After some time traveling, and understanding why we all look so different, it’s time we look at the age old question: Why aren’t Black people aging? Through all of the beauty products, and magazines that promote youth, Black people never really seem to age. It’s cultural at this point with its cornerstone being JET magazine’s 1970 “Black Don’t Crack”
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“Black Don’t Crack” is an adage that assumes that Black people age slower. This episode addresses the genetics behind physical characteristics we associate with aging such as skin (wrinkles and folds), hair loss, memory and telomere length (cellular aging). The science is supplemented by the story of Mrs. Irma Shaw, a 94 year old Black Guyanese woman living in Queens, NY. In “Magic School Bus” -esque vignettes, this episode also uses fictional skits to demonstrate how our cells age over time.
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These questions are answered with the help of our guests anthropologist Dr. Tina Lasisi and fellow geneti-“SIS” Dr. Marquitta White.
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In Those Genes is an educational podcast that contains explicit language that might be be difficult for some to hear. No worries, we got you! You can still get all the facts dropped in our cleaned transcript we affectionately call The Nucleus here, https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Htc1qZSTH9g3lF9EydHhZEsdxjs4W90R/view?usp=sharing
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As a reminder this season airs every OTHER week.
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Want to learn more about the guests on this episode? Check out their work below.
Dr.Tina Lasisi @TinaLasisi (Twitter), https://www.tinalasisi.com/
Dr. Marquitta White, learn more about Dr. White’s work here, https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Marquitta-White
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Want to unpack this episode with other In Those Genes Family and like minded folks? If so, be sure to come to our after show, In Our DNA ( https://kinkofa.com/inourdna/ ), hosted by our good friends over at Kinkofa (https://kinkofa.com/ ) every other Wednesday (the week following an episode drop) at 7:30PM EST. Register here, https://lu.ma/INOURDNA !
.
Kinkofa is the future of genealogy. Connect to culturally-relevant tools, resources, and support needed to uncover your unique #familyhistory. Join their community here, https://kinkofa.com/community/ !
.
Making a podcast ain’t cheap. And as an independently funded podcast, we depend on our community to sustain us. Please consider donating $5, $10, or $20 to In Those Genes through our PayPal or commit to a monthly donation through our Patreon, if you’re able.
.
PayPal: https://paypal.me/inthosegenes
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/inthosegenes
.
If a monetary donation isn’t in the cards you can support us by -- rating and writing a review of the podcast, following us on social media, and sharing this podcast with everyone you know!
.
No matter how you show your support, thank you fam <3 We appreciate you. You can formally join the family by visiting www.inthosegenes.com and signing up to get email updates including our Nucleotide Newsletter.
.
Follow us on Twitter/Instagram: @inthosegenespod
playlist_add
Dec 21, 2021
The Future is Black AF
How will humanity continue to evolve? Will our distinct physical features stand the test of time? Do we still adhere to social constructs like race and gender? Find out on this week’s bonus episode as we continue our journey from last week and head 15,000 years into the future with Afrofuturist Ytasha Whomack .
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“The Future is Black AF” is a short mini BONUS episode that continues the journey from episode 2 with Afrofuturist Ytasha Whomack. One thing we learned last week traveling through all of the years of our ancestors is how long it takes for populations to change. So this week we take a trip to see what humanity might look like in another, let's say, fifteen thousand years in the future.
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In Those Genes is an educational podcast that contains explicit language that might be difficult for some to hear. No worries, we got you! You can still get all the facts dropped in our cleaned transcript we affectionately call The Nucleus here, https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HxkVIEhZSeM2kVH0hXuUa5AOsFopUZcW/view?usp=sharing
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As a reminder this season airs every OTHER week.
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Want to learn more about the guests on this episode? Check out their work below.
Ytasha Whomack @ytashawomack (Twitter) and https://www.ytashawomack.com
Dr.Tina Lasisi @TinaLasisi (Twitter), https://www.tinalasisi.com/
Dr. Brandon Ogubuno, @big_data_kane (Twitter) , https://fas.yale.edu/book/new-ladder-faculty-2020-2021/c-brandon-ogbunu
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Cover Art this season was designed by David Perrin, check out his work here https://www.instagram.com/dpicting/?hl=en and buy some of his artwork here https://society6.com/dpicting1/wall-art?sort=random
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Making a podcast ain’t cheap. And as an independently funded podcast, we depend on our community to sustain us. Please consider donating $5, $10, or $20 to In Those Genes through our PayPal or commit to a monthly donation through our Patreon, if you’re able.
.
PayPal: https://paypal.me/inthosegenes
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/inthosegenes
.
If a monetary donation isn’t in the cards you can support us by -- rating and writing a review of the podcast, following us on social media, and sharing this podcast with everyone you know!
.
No matter how you show your support, thank you fam <3 We appreciate you. You can formally join the family by visiting www.inthosegenes.com and signing up to get email updates including our Nucleotide Newsletter.
.
Follow us on Twitter/Instagram: @inthosegenespod
playlist_add
Dec 14, 2021
Black to the Future
Race is a social construct and not a distinction we make in biology. But as humans we do look *very* different from one another. Shoot, family members that share the same genes don’t look the same. Why do we look so different? Join three time-traveling scientists on an afrofuturist journey through the ages to trace how climate, migration, and mating patterns over the last 200,000 years have created all the different hair textures, skin, and eye colors we see today.
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“Black to the Future '' is a time travel episode that follows three scientists (Janina Jeff, PhD,, Tina Lasisi, PhD, Brandon Ogbunu, PhD) who travel through time and space and learn how humans developed the physical features that make up the way we look today. Our spaceship Dedelorean guides us to many stops around the world starting South East Africa 200,000 years ago and travels to the many places humans migrated over time. We are looking for answers like, Why the hell do we look different? Who was hitting up which parts of the world and why? How did our adapting genomes interact with the climates around us? And what L’s did everyone catch along the way?
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These questions are answered with the help of our guests and over 15 cameo voice guests in our fun skits that help place us in the time and space of our ancestors.
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In Those Genes is an educational podcast that contains explicit language that might be be difficult for some to hear. No worries, we got you! You can still get all the facts dropped in our cleaned transcript we affectionately call The Nucleushere, https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FKxNVzf5_OBkilT3_uaboMcwUpqwOH21/view?usp=sharing
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As a reminder this season airs every OTHER week.
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Want to learn more about the guests on this episode? Check out their work below.
Dr.Tina Lasisi @TinaLasisi (Twitter), https://www.tinalasisi.com/
Dr. Brandon Ogubuno, @big_data_kane (Twitter) , https://fas.yale.edu/book/new-ladder-faculty-2020-2021/c-brandon-ogbunu
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Want to unpack this episode with other In Those Genes Family and like minded folks? If so, be sure to come to our after show, In Our DNA ( https://kinkofa.com/inourdna/ ), hosted by our good friends over at Kinkofa (https://kinkofa.com/ ) every other Wednesday (the week following an episode drop) at 7:30PM EST. Register here, https://lu.ma/INOURDNA !
.
Kinkofa is the future of genealogy. Connect to culturally-relevant tools, resources, and support needed to uncover your unique #familyhistory. Join their community here, https://kinkofa.com/community/ !
.
Making a podcast ain’t cheap. And as an independently funded podcast, we depend on our community to sustain us. Please consider donating $5, $10, or $20 to In Those Genes through our PayPal or commit to a monthly donation through our Patreon, if you’re able.
.
PayPal: https://paypal.me/inthosegenes
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/inthosegenes
.
If a monetary donation isn’t in the cards you can support us by -- rating and writing a review of the podcast, following us on social media, and sharing this podcast with everyone you know!
.
No matter how you show your support, thank you fam <3 We appreciate you. You can formally join the family by visiting www.inthosegenes.com and signing up to get email updates including our Nucleotide Newsletter.
.
Follow us on Twitter/Instagram: @inthosegenespod
playlist_add
Nov 30, 2021
How the World Inherited Blackness
Is Race Genetic?
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“How the World Inherited Blackness” answers a common question by many....."Is race genetic?" This episode takes the listener on a journey through time to understand how race was birthed and the history behind how race became a reputable (pseudo)scientific theory that justified an entire global system of oppression still used today. We leverage the genetics expertise of our host, as well as two Black scholars leading the field in sociology and anthropology, to dive deep into HOW the world inherited Blackness AND we voyage to what a world without race could be. As with any In Those Genes episode, the story of “How the World Inherited Race”, is seasoned with hip hop, fictional characters, and Black culture to create an entertaining , educational, yet personal eargasmic experience for “The Fam”.
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As a reminder this season will be airing every OTHER week!!
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Follow our guests on this episode
Dr. Saida Grundy @saigrundy (Twitter), https://www.bu.edu/afam/profile/saida-grundy/
Delande Justinvil https://www.american.edu/profiles/students/dj6541a.cfm
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In Those Genes is independently funded, to give, become a patron here: https://www.patreon.com/inthosegenes
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If you would like to give a one time donation, you can do that here: https://paypal.me/inthosegenes
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If a monetary donation isn’t in the cards be sure to rate and write a review of the podcast. OAN, don’t forget to share this podcast with everyone you know!
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You can formally join the family by visiting www.inthosegenes.com.
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Follow us at @inthosegenespod on Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.
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Nov 16, 2021
Season 2 Coming Soon!
In Those Genes is BAAAAAAACCCCKKKK for Season 2!
"She Get It From Her Moma”, the official title of Season 2 builds on Season 1 and asks the central question in each episode- “Is it genetic?!” Six brand new episodes in this season will focus on understanding the origins of long-held beliefs about inheritance within the Black community that, in some cases, are and are not supported by genetics. For example, one of our favorite episodes, “Black Don’t Crack,” will explore prolonged aging and will take a deep dive into the “fountain of youth” using a genetic lens. Additional episodes will cover the genetics of rhythm, athleticism, and body shape while simultaneously learning the history of how these traits became racialized. This season is filled with more narrative stories, skits, and of course Black culture analogies all paired with a healthy dose of hip hop and TRAP music! WE EVEN SPACE TRAVELING in this thang!
Look out for six NEW episodes airing every OTHER week sta…
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Sep 21, 2021
Vaccine VERZUZ
Hey fam!
We're back for an unofficial release of a bonus episode for season 2 to report on Dat Rona! Unfortunately the virus is still here BUT with the rise of the new delta variant and misinformation running the streets we knew it was time for an update! So what better way to do it than in the format of our favorite pandemic event, VERZUZ!! In this bonus episode we will be talking about life with the mRNA vaccine (Pfizer and Moderna) VERZUZ life with the virus COVID-19. Every round is a different topic of concern from our vaccine hesitant fam. We will cover long-term effects, immune health, fertility, and economics with our favorite experts and friends: Sherod Haynes, Dr. Heather Jones, and Carl Joseph Black, JD.
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Season 2 still coming to you later this year!!
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You can follow our guest:
Sherod Haynes: @rodzilla
Dr. Heather Jones: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-lauren-jones-7ab403128/
Carl Joseph Black: @cjoeblack @itsthedime
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Below are links to various things in the episode…
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Jan 19, 2021
Intronic Season Episode 4: Trusting The Vaccine While Black Pt. 2 (IG/Clubhouse Live Cypher Session)
Today we are airing our first Intronic Episode of 2021, Trusting The Vaccine While Black Part 2, a live community cypher conversation with Dr. Ashira Blazer and our family of listeners on Instagram and Clubhouse.
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For those of you who follow us on Instagram you know we host an IG Live and now a Clubhouse Club Conversation that we call Community Cyphers. The purpose of these sessions is to further engage with the community and provide accurate information from experts. On most Thursdays we host these Cypher Sessions, some about our upcoming Season 2 and some about Dat Rona. All sessions are recorded but our Cypher sessions on Dat Rona will also be aired here in our Intronic Season.
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Our Intronic Season is our content during the off season where we might hit you with an episode swap from another podcast, Dat Rona updates, our Helix playlist, or some Henrietta Facts to keep you in the know of these here genomes!
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You can follow our guest Dr. Ashira Blazer on Twitter at @Ashira_MD
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In…
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Sep 23, 2020
Intronic Season Episode 3 - SNP-its, Short Audio Stories by Biorocket High School Interns
Hey fam! Today we are hitting you with another Intronic episode but this time from high school interns from the Biorocket Program at Genspace who used our show as a model to do some science storytelling themselves. We call their short audio stories, SNP-its, a play upon words from an acronym in genetics that stands for single nucleotide polymorphism and describes common mutations in populations.
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Over the next 40 minutes you’ll hear four SNP-its produced by this year’s Biorocket interns. The Biorocket interns worked collaboratively over the course of seven weeks to research, write, and produce a short podcast SNP-it about a science topic of their choosing. They covered everything from CRISPR gene therapies and “designer babies” to the environmental impacts of fast fashion and social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and how it is disproportionately impacting some communities.
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You can find the transcripts from our interns here, bit.ly/32UxffI.
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You can find more information ab…
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Jun 30, 2020
Intronic Season Episode 2- Dat Rona Update: Trusting Vaccines While Black
We're BACK---well kind of...
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This week we want to hit you with a new Rona update all about the development of coronavirus vaccines. This update is inspired by our fam on Black Twitter and the discourse popping up that’s claiming the vaccine will be created to intentionally do harm us Black folks.
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Specifically folks who are weary of engaging in vaccine related research or even taking the vaccine when it’s ready because of our history with medical racism and exploitation in this country.
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On today’s Rona Update we’re going to speak about those theories, explore the likelihood of a vaccine created with specific intentions to harm one group of people, talk about some of the real concerns to have around the development of a vaccine, and dive deeper into what we really need to know about these vaccines and the trials.
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Here you can find our original Dat Rona episode
https://player.audiostaq.com/inthosegenes/dat_rona
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Here you can find our Dat Rona Update on testing (first 10-1…
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May 26, 2020
Intronic Season Ep. 1 - Know Your Genes from American Origin Stories Podcast
Welcome to…... the “Intronic Season”. During the intronic season we will be doing episode swaps with other podcasts that are closely related to our show or interviews from shows that I have been on. Some weeks we might just point you to a podcast to listen to, some weeks we might just drop some genetic knowledge on social media through our Henrietta Facts posts, and I will still be dropping that Helix playlist with new music that I am into during this time.
So today we are doing an episode swap, we are introducing you to a new podcast, American Origin Stories, a podcast about identity, ancestry, and untold history. Specifically, season 1 explores the foundational ways to learn more about your roots and addresses the question, why is it so difficult for Black Americans to trace their ancestors? On this episode “Know Your Genes: DNA & Personal Identity” they discuss genetics. There are many ways to explore our ancestry - one modern option is DNA. Race may not be a gene or rea…
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Apr 20, 2020
Gene-NINA Pt.2
In our season finale, we continue the discussion with our host, Dr. Jeff and lead producer Sam Riddell to discuss her journey to be becoming the first African American to receive a PhD in Human Genetics from Vanderbilt. We'll do a deep dive on her entire process and discuss how she overcame racism, sexism, and imposter syndrome all while still being focused on the community and centering Black people in her artistry. Then we learn how our Genet-SIS became a podcaster and how the In Those Genes team is making history being the first independent podcast of it's kind.
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As promised, we will also have a Rona update at the top of the show. This week our host is back and healthy, discussing what the hottest topic around COVID-19, IMMUNITY! What is it exactly? How do you know you have it? How do we know you specifically have it for the new coronavirus? How effective is it? And how long will you have it?
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After recording the Rona update we came across this interesting NY Times article on Imm…
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Apr 9, 2020
Gene-NINA Pt.1
On this episode we’re bringing in our lead producer Sam Riddell to get into some questions about MY thoughts around genetic testing that y'all have been asking me all season. You'll also here Sam give the update on Dat Rona this week and we’re talking all about the SEVERE racial disparities when it comes to diagnoses and deaths resulting from COVID-19. We’re going to talk about the PLETHORA of reasons why Black Americans specifically are dying in higher numbers from the coronavirus and how these statistics are being tracked -- if at all and -- how we should interpret them. Then we are going to lay out a loose a strategy that could have dramatically changed these statistics and envision a better future.
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If you would like to give to our freelancers working hard to make the this podcast available who are also impacted by the pandemic you can send them donations for their hard work on this episode with the information.
Sam’s (our lead producers) Cash App: $SamRidd
Chad's (our…
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Apr 3, 2020
All of Us
This week we take you on a genetics road trip to find disease cures and our GPS is the African genome! Then we will talk about National Research Initiative, All of Us, that is asking for 1 million samples from underrepresented communities like ours to better understand health outcomes for future generations to come. Then we travel 100 years into the future and imagine what science might look like then. And as promised at the top of the episode we have a quick update on Dat Rona, this week we are spending some time discussing how our incarcerated fam is faring during this pandemic and some steps that can be taken to care for them at this time. Huge thanks to our family at Stateville correction center and their instructor who has been incorporating our show into her class, we are so grateful to see this show have such reach and are keeping you in our thoughts during this difficult time.
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Here you can learn more about All of Us and sign up
https://allofus.nih.gov/
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Here you can learn mo…
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Mar 26, 2020
Scientific Sleuths
Wanna make money? Wanna find bae?? Or maybe you want to find all your cuzins in the world?! You can do all this with your DNA and in this episode we each you how. Then we'll be speaking with a genealogy enthusiast who has used his data to go on to discover over 20,000 relatives and become an internationally known advocate and educator of genealogical research. And as always, I'll leave you with some encouraging words about do it yourself science in the black community.
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**NEW WEEKLY UPDATES on DAT RONA (aka SARs-COV2/COVID-19)!! That's right every week for the rest of season 1, we will be giving you quick sip of tea on Dat Rona and this week we are spilling ALL the tea on TESTS! I know y'all have been hearing all about the lack of tests, well we do a deep dive on why that is, what has been done, what hasn't been done, and what tests might look like in the coming days/weeks/months.
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If you missed our DAMN G.I.N.A. episode, you can hear it here,
http://player.audiostaq.com/inthosegenes…
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Mar 20, 2020
Dat Rona
This week we’re doing a special episode on Dat Rona aka the coronavirus or as its scientifically known -- SARS CoV 2. We decided to pull together and disseminate some Rona’ knowledge because we are all being bombarded with a lot of information that is often inconsistent and rapidly changing. We’ll give you a rundown of what Rona is, what we know about it genetically, and I’ll tell you about a vaccine being developed to combat the spread of the virus. Then we will have a Q&A session with Dr. Ashira Blazer, a medical professional currently working in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
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Here are some questions we expect to cover:
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1)What makes corona different from the flu ?
2)Why Black people aren't immune?
3)Why the spread is extremely dangerous for Black folks specifically?
4)How long are you contagious once you have contracted the virus?
5)Can you get infected with the virus twice?
6)How did it spread this fast and so quickly?
7)What a vaccine for the virus may look l…
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Mar 10, 2020
Damn G.I.N.A!
Damn GINA, the infamous Martin reference but also the acronym for the Genetics Information Nondiscrimination Act. We learn all our homegirl GINA and what she can and cannot do from our fellow Geneti-SIS, Shawneequa Callier, an Associate Professor of medical ethics at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. We also will learn about old methods used in forensics back in the day and we tell the beautiful story of Henrietta Lacks in our gene therapy segment.
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You can learn more about GINA,here.
https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/statutes/gina.cfm
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You can learn more about Shawneequa Callier here
https://www.gwumc.edu/smhs/facultydirectory/profile.cfm?empName=Shawneequa%20Callier&FacID=2051569427
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You can also follow her on Twitter here,
https://twitter.com/slcallier?lang=en
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In Those Genes is independently funded, to give, become a patron here: https://www.patreon.com/inthosegenes
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If you would like to give a one time donation, you can do that here: https://pa…
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Mar 3, 2020
Abigail's Story
This week we intellectually drag the Ancestry DNA AD that glamorized slavery on primetime TV. First, we hit you with the science, hard facts, that disprove this sick love story. Then, we speak with Aspirin AD Woman, also known as the fancy ass copywriter, also known as Flagrant Creative, Jewell Donaldson to break down how ads like this see the light of day. Lastly, we re-create what an Ancestry ad for Black people SHOULD sound like and it is guaranteed to make you laugh so hard you get that (hot girl/boy)summer 6 pack you been after !
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You can learn more about Jewell Donaldson here,
www.jewelldonaldson.com
IG: @qwaintrelle
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Learn more about who was apart of the Ancestry Ad here.
https://www.adsoftheworld.com/media/film/ancestrycom_inseparable_strong_heart_the_journey
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Learn more about Anomaly's Ancestry Ads here
http://mattandrich.com/ancestry
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In Those Genes is independently funded, to give, become a patron here: https://www.patreon.com/inthosegenes
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If you would like to give a o…
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Feb 24, 2020
23, Big Pharma & Me
Have you heard of or thought about doing 23&Me test? Well this week we dive deep into the only direct to consumer genetics company with FDA approval and the first to return health reports with our very first Geneti-SIS on the show, Dr. Altovise Ewing. We understand what this means for Black people specifically in regards to accuracy. We also give you all the TEA about 23&Me around the partnership they have with GSK and what went down with the FDA. Lastly, we will hear from our special guest, Casey Gerald on his experience on 23&Me and what his thoughts are around access to health tests.
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You can learn more about 23&Me here,
https://www.23andme.com/
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Learn more about our Geneti-SIS, Dr. Ewing here,
https://www.linkedin.com/in/altovise-t-ewing-phd-lcgc-386b7911/
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Follow Casey Gerald on Twitter and Instagram at @CaseyGerald
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In Those Genes is independently funded, to give, become a patron here: https://www.patreon.com/inthosegenes
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If you would like to give a one time donation, you c…
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Feb 18, 2020
ION Trust Dem People!
This week we'll be the communities perspective around privacy within the context of direct to consumer genetic testing companies directly from the elders of the 504. We will also learn how you can be identified by the forensic scientist using your DNA and of course we have affirmations!
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Additional music by: Fat Steve Beats
https://youtu.be/-ZeMxz9xCcg
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In Those Genes is independently funded, to give, become a patron here: https://www.patreon.com/inthosegenes
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If you would like to give a one time donation, you can do that here: https://paypal.me/inthosegenes
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If a monetary donation isn’t in the cards be sure to rate and write a review of the podcast. OAN, don’t forget to share this podcast with everyone you know!
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You can formally join the family by visiting, www.inthosegenes.com .
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Follow us at @inthosegenespod on Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.
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The Nucleus (our transcript, The Helix (an episodic soundtrack), and Henrietta Facts (quick notes from the .episod…
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Feb 11, 2020
Skinfolk, Kinfolk
This week we take you on the dopest hip hop odyssey ever! First, we learn how companies determine your tribe through the elements of a hip hop song. Then we review two Black owned genetics companies through a RAP BATTLE!!! Lastly, Dr. Jeff gives you more Afrofuturism vibes as she discusses her favorite consumer genetics company.
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Here is a link to the Birthday Song by Chad Milner
https://open.spotify.com/track/1aoceUDXDxMBjJQDo9nRm3?si=4Ph8qJO6SJOpT-bxrk5DKA
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Here is a link to the Mitochondrial Eve paper Dr. Kittles references
https://www.nature.com/articles/325031a0
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You can learn more about African Ancestry here.
https://africanancestry.com/home/
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You can learn more about AfroRoots here.
https://afrorootsdna.com/
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In Those Genes is independently funded, to give, become a patron here: https://www.patreon.com/inthosegenes
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If you would like to give a one time donation, you can do that here: https://paypal.me/inthosegenes
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If a monetary donation isn’t in the cards be sure to ra…
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Feb 3, 2020
Up in Dem' Genes
This week, we explore the interpretation of consumer genetic results from Ancestry.com. Dr. Jeff has a conversation with the infamous Brown Sugar, her friends, Drs. Sarah Ann Anderson-Burnett and Byron Young. We learn what it means to be kin?! And for the first time EVER, we do something unique that only our show could do! Dr. Jeff analyzes Byron and Sarah’s Ancestry results to learn some cool things like if these best friends are kin! We also learn if Sarah’s results explain why she burns sage every third Sunday or if Byron’s genetic ancestry results motivated him to wear dashikis everyday. We also challenge the notion of African ancestry and hair texture. Lastly, we introduce Afrofuturism, something we love to embrace on the show.
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Mentioned in the episode: Dr. Jeff’s Op-Ed piece, 46 Chromosomes and a Mule can be found here.
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https://www.theroot.com/46-chromosomes-and-a-mule-falsely-romanticizing-our-co-1834228049
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You can follow contact Dr. Sarah Ann Anderson-Burnett at s…
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Dec 10, 2019
Scientific Sankofa
Sankofa is a Ghanian principle that means go back and fetch it, referencing the idea that we must never forget about our past as we continue to embark on this journey called life. Genetics is a manifestation of the Sankofa principal, having the ability to learn about our past through our DNA. This episode will explore the many facets of how we define the Black identity genetically and culturally as well as meaningful conversation with ‘The Jeff’s’, the parents of Dr. Jeff, host of the show. Weekly episodes of In Those Genes will start February 4th, 2020! Be on the lookout of our launch event February 5th.
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Please fast forward pass 13:41-13-:48 as indicated in the show if you do not wish to hear language that could be offensive, triggering, or harmful to some.
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The Nucleus, our transcript, can be found here,
https://drive.google.com/a/inthosegenes.com/file/d/1UFv-7V6irqWfbCAHbEhExISaJww4x4y6/view?usp=sharing
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The Helix, an episodic soundtrack filled with the musical insp…
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Nov 21, 2019
In Those Genes Podcast Trailer
Slavery not only stripped Africans descended Americans of their freedom but of their native languages, families, religion, and other vital information that shape identity. To fill this gap in knowledge, we aim to take listeners on a journey to understand the 1% of the genome that makes up their individuality. Our pilot episode will be released on December 10th.
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