Heritage et AL

Brad Argent (Ancestry) gave a talk in October at the Central Library on DNA. The talk came after the Family History Expo in Auckland, and was focused on the science of identity. As Brad said, DNA testing is no longer "just" a tool to help you work out your family history. It is so much more than that and it brings with it potential issues. He posed some thought-provoking questions: Does the absence of something in you change who you are, and how you see yourself? For example, if you grew up in a Māori community, and saw yourself as Māori, then get a genetic result back that says you're not Māori... do you stop being Māori overnight? He talked about the memetic self  - that is, the part of you made up of those "things" passed down to you through your culture, your family, and the family stories. What, he asked, happens when you've grown up hearing stories but learn you are not biologically connected to them? Do they just go away? Likewise, if you lear...

Colleen Fitzpatrick, forensic genealogist and author On 20 April, 2015, we were extremely fortunate to have Colleen Fitzpatrick PhD, visiting forensic genealogist and author from the US, come and speak for us at Central City Library. Colleen is a nuclear physicist, who is a consultant in some high profile cases that involve using both genetic and forensic genealogy to solve a case. She has a really impressive CV . Colleen is also the author of: Forensic genealogy ,   DNA and genealogy , and   The dead horse investigation: forensic analysis for everyone .  Colleen is a talented researcher and an excellent speaker with a wide choice of subjects to choose from and has a real talent for making the complicated and the technical both easily understood and entertaining. Fortunately, her visit to us coincided with our "pilot" scheme and we were able to video her talks which you can find on the Auckland Libraries YouTube channel. The presentations s...