Seven Big Misconceptions About Heredity

She Has Her Mother’s Laugh: The Powers, Perversions, and Potential of Heredity is available in paperback. This article, adapted from the book, originally appeared as the cover story in the May/June 2019 issue of Skeptical Inquirer.

If someone says, “I guess it’s in my DNA,” you never hear people say, “DN — what?” We all know what DNA is, or at least think we do.