On a different topic , your last book was about heredity . How important of a role do you think DNA plays in the shaping of our identities ? Are you concerned about these websites like 23andme ?
DNA can give us clues about our history , but they ’ re just clues . DNA has an influence on all our biology , from our blood to our brains , but it ’ s only an influence , and it ’ s not a chisel hammering at the stone . I think these websites have taken on a huge responsibility . Tens of millions of customers are getting results that these companies have analysed and I think a lot of times people get the wrong impression ; they think that everything , including the ice cream you like , is written in your genes . I think the websites can also unintentionally promote racist ideas . Making a big deal out of exactly where your ancestors came from , as if that has an overwhelming impact on who you are and what you do , can result in some of the worst ideas in racism and eugenics . It ’ s easy to fall into these ways of thinking and these companies have a duty to make sure that they don ’ t promote that .
What were the most interesting things you learned about through writing the book ?
I think getting my own genome sequence and having scientists take a look at it .
I ’ d written about genomes for years , so seeing scientists interpret mine was a lot of fun .
In your opinion , what was the single most important scientific discovery or idea ?
I guess evolution because it connects all our cells with the rest of nature in genealogy and studies our part in the four-billion-year history of the earth .
So , biology is the science you are most interested in ?
Yes - it connects with a lot of other science and that ’ s what I like about it . I spend plenty of time talking with physicists , chemists , and astronomers , and we ’ re still talking about life and it ’ s always interesting .
Finally , what areas are you working on at the moment ?
Right now , I ’ m very busy helping to cover the COVID story , which is many stories at once , and I ’ m also trying to finish a book about life , how we define it , and people ’ s theories to explain what it is . It ’ s got some biology , some philosophy , and some history .