Rachael Rifkin

In 2017, Audrey Bell, a 51-year-old mother of triplets from Long Island, hopped on the internet to purchase a 23andMe testing kit to see if the test would be able to figure out which of her triplets were the identical siblings and which was the fraternal sibling. But when she received the results weeks later, they revealed something curious.

If we want to raise kids to become civic-minded adults who understand the context of current events and take the necessary action in relation to them, we need to be teaching our country’s full history—including the regressions, brutality, and ongoing injustices.

It would be the first time I’d entered a hospital since my mom died; this time I was going to be the patient.

For just a moment, I’d try to wish a child into existence.

Important things we once put off—like sharing and saving our family stories—have now become a priority.

For just a moment, I’d try to wish a child into existence.

Identical twins Audrey Bell and Cynthia McFadden, and their younger sister Stephanie, knew that using 23andMe to explore their DNA would give them insight into their ancestry and shared genetics, but they never expected it would also unearth clues to a 75-year-old unsolved mystery.

My daughter is her own person, and she deserved a unique name.

Like many adoptees, the two twenty-somethings, turned to DNA testing to find out more about themselves. They wanted to know more about their ancestry, maybe find some biological relatives, and explore the health side of testing.

It’s a common regret: “I wish I’d asked my grandparents, parents, aunts, and uncles more about their lives.”

When they met for the first time, Tamara Miller and Leslie Wheeler were struck by their similarities. They both are Korean adoptees, and both share a cheerful disposition and closets full of colorful hats and clothes. They even carried nearly identical purses at that first meeting.

They arrive in your life amid those confusing, bleary-eyed first postpartum days when you’re feeling sore, exhausted, moody and trying to figure out how to keep a child alive and fed, all while dealing with the equivalent of the longest period of your life.

Women directed a slew of critically-acclaimed films in 2018, including Debra Granik's Leave No Trace, Chloe Zhao's The Rider, Lynne Ramsay's You Were Never Really Here, and Marielle Heller's Can You Ever Forgive Me? But it was back to business as usual at this year's Academy Awards ceremony when women were shut out of the Best Director category once again.

When my mom passed away, having established guidelines for my early grieving process was a relief, giving me concrete steps to take and tasks to do. Several years on, I’ve found myself wishing for more traditions and rituals for this stage, and more opportunities to remember and celebrate her life.

Buried in our DNA along with our health histories, is the story of our families. Shauna Harrison, a San Francisco-based fitness coach with a Ph.D. in public health, got an unexpected twist in her family story when she dug into her 23andMe results.