Project Spiral

Elena Cothalis: The Future of Genetics

Abbie & Tim Steckler

How much can you tell about a person once you look at their genes? What information can you find, and what problems can you prevent? And furthermore - what happens once we start tinkering with someone's genetic makeup? In this episode, Elena Cothalis walks us through her role as a Genetic Counselor: the rewarding moments, the challenging moments, and the times that offer real opportunity for how we can improve human help. Our conversation sheds light on all that is both controversial and exciting about a relatively new category of science, and how one woman navigates this career field.  Plus, Abigail reveals the truth about birds and Tim confronts the fearsome dinosaur repdigit.