DiscoverRisky Business with Nate Silver and Maria KonnikovaDeterminative Decisions Before Birth: Genes and Names
Determinative Decisions Before Birth: Genes and Names

Determinative Decisions Before Birth: Genes and Names

Update: 2025-09-04
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Nate is on vacation this week, so Maria is joined by journalist David Epstein, author of The Sports Gene and Range. They talk about a new company that offers comprehensive genetic sequencing on embryos during the IVF process—at a high price. What are the ethics of this kind of technology? And what are the risks (and rewards) of trying to optimize your child’s genes? Plus, they discuss a topic they’ve been texting about for years: Does your name determine who you become?

Further Reading:

You can find more about David and his writing on his website, https://davidepstein.com/.

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Determinative Decisions Before Birth: Genes and Names

Determinative Decisions Before Birth: Genes and Names

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