ME III: DNA testing anyone?

· Maine Event

Today was beautiful and quite crisp in the morning but warmed up in the middle of the day. Next week it is expected to get hot again – even up to the low 80s, so we are still in that time when some days you need the heat and some days you dread it. The coldest nighttime temps have only been 45° so not that cold. I love this time of year and the anticipation of winter. I think of the shoulder seasons as the seasons of anticipation.

I've been thinking about DNA and still astounds me that you can just buy a kit over the counter that will tell you everything (and more that you want to know) about your health and your genetics. For many years they have used this information to catch criminals. Who knows if the miscreants in my family are actual criminals?!!? What if I have an untold number of half-siblings? I mean my dad had several years between wives and was a serious flirt with virtually everyone. So many different human things to consider. Then I read about how China is expanding its gene collection rapidly and sometimes under force such as with the Uighurs. I found this article interesting how intensely they are focused on understanding the variety of human genetics and the analysis of what risks this poses. This led me to this article talking about the use of a common prenatal test that also harvests genetic data for research which raises worries about eugenics. It's all quite concerning, especially in a capitalist society where your genetic data could be traded around to the highest bidder. It's interesting to think about and what all the privacy and other concerns there are.

The Fore River was running in reverse as a strong tide came roaring in. The glittery green was gorgeous but the picture just didn't capture it.

The squash parent has given up all its resources for the squash children and the rhubarb is glorious in the foreground.
Nice houses and gorgeous sky.
Nearly full moon! She is 97.3% full today.
Captivating as ever.

The days are getting shorter. The nights are getting colder. We are so incredibly busy days and nights the time is going by super fast. Sometime in October, we MUST go to the Maine Central Coast Botanical Gardens.

Have a lovely evening.

Sending oodles of love,

Tawnia

Short bird list - 8 species, but we did round up the usual suspects: