Neandertal man image created from a discovered skull
If you’ve paid any attention to the acceleration in human and animal genomics research, the revelations and scientific discoveries are amazing. As someone who has had his DNA analyzed at 23andMe (whose co-founder Anne Wojcicki is married to Google co-founder Sergey Brin), I can tell you first-hand about the absolutely delightful discoveries I’ve made about my own DNA, its implications, how I’m connected geographically to other humans, and that it’s unlikely I’ll ever run a 4 minute mile (that last one is just my conjecture!).
Lynn Fellman
The most recent profound discovery was the identification of Neandertal DNA in modern humans! From reading the articles which have come out this month, it appears that modern humans heading out of Africa “co-mingled” with Neandertals in Eurasia and now humans with “1-4%” Neandertal DNA have been identified.
Fortunately we have an independent artist bridging science and the humanities through art and narrative right here in our midst in Minneapolis, Lynn Fellman, who does a beautiful job communicating what has taken place and its implications.
Give it a view and then head on over to her website. Sometimes the science of DNA can get pretty esoteric and boring. Having someone like Lynn—a woman who is steeped in the science but can see and interpret the beauty within it—deliver some of THE most beautiful interpretations of any science-related discipline I’ve ever been interested in is incredibly pleasing and useful. What I didn’t realize, until I saw this video, is how effectively (and beautifully with her own visuals) she can communicate an incredibly complex topic.
(As an aside, NPR’s Science Friday host, Ira Flatow, is a big fan of Lynn’s work and she’s been on the show. You can check one out in her “Stories/Podcasts” section of her website here).
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) commissioned Lynn to develop this presentation for their AAAS Member Central web site: