The Genesis Engine. Editing DNA is now cut-and-paste. We could eliminate disease, cure hunger – or break the world. – The article is less alarmist than the opening makes it sound and quite interesting. A behind the scenes peek at the science world. Nice to see women front and center since there’s a shortage in STEM.

Via an Island of Hope, a New Home – Well, this is different. I got a call from a fellow at the New York Times about a month ago asking me questions about Ellis Island, but he was a little vague on the whys and wherefores. Turns out I’ve been quoted in a multi-media piece that blends information/education with advertising – in this case for Airbnb.

Kudrow cherishes ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ – Interesting to see Lisa Kudrow’s response to this question: “Have you ever run into a situation where a celebrity asked you to hide or downplay something? (PBS’ Finding Your Roots stirred controversy by concealing the discovery that Ben Affleck’s ancestor owned slaves, reportedly at the actor’s request.)”

NJ Family To Be Reunited With WWII Dog Tags Found In The Thames River

Rare African American family photo albums give glimpse of 19th century Albany – h/t to Lisa Walsh Dougherty for this!

High School Student Proves Professor Wrong When He Denied “No Irish Need Apply” Signs Existed – How the heck did this guy get published when he was so obviously wrong? A quick search of just one online newspaper site popped up 1,321 articles with this phrase, including articles from 1850s Irish American publications already addressing the issue. Love that it was a 17-year-old who corrected him!

Hall discovers family link to Daniel Boone – Hmmm . . . I guess she’s in the UK version of ‪‘Who Do You Think You Are?’‬ because she was once married to Mick Jagger? At any rate, here’s a little something about Texan Jerry Hall.

What I Learned from My Famous Relative – A peek into Maya Rudolph’s family history coming up on the next season of “Finding Your Roots”

J. K. Rowling’s Family History on ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’