BROADCASTS.com

b'DNA is the gold standard of identification. Except when it\\u2019s not. In rare cases when a person has two complete sets of DNA, that person\\u2019s identity may be up in the air.\\xa0Meanwhile, DNA ancestry tests are proving frustratingly vague: dishing up generalities about where you came from rather than anything specific. And decoding a genome is still relatively expensive and time-consuming. So, while we refine our ability to work with DNA, the search is on for a quick and easy biomarker test to tell us who we are.\\xa0\\nIn this hour: the story of chimeras \\u2013 people who have two sets of DNA; a reporter whose ancestry tests revealed she is related to Napoleon and Marie Antoinette; and the eyes have it in Somaliland, the first nation to use iris scans in an election. Find out why your irises may be what ultimately distinguishes you from the crowd.\\nGuests:\\n\\n\\nTina Hesman Saey\\xa0\\u2013\\xa0Senior writer covering molecular biology for\\xa0Science News,\\xa0including\\xa0a\\xa0series on genetic testing.\\n\\n\\nCarl Zimmer\\xa0\\u2013\\xa0Columnist for\\xa0The New York Times,\\xa0author of, \\u201cShe Has Her Mother\\u2019s Laugh: The Powers, Perversions, and Potential of Heredity.\\u201d\\n\\n\\nKevin Bowyer\\xa0\\u2013\\xa0Professor of computer science and engineering, University of Notre Dame.\\n\\n\\xa0\\nOriginally aired July 23, 2018\\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices'