Who speaks for the dead? Rethinking consent in ancient DNA research

By Victoria Gibbon, Professor in Biological Anthropology, Division of Clinical Anatomy and Biological Anthropology, University of Cape Town
Jessica C. Thompson, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Yale University
Sianne Alves, Director office for inclusivity and change, University of Cape Town

Would you choose to have a part of your body live on after you died? How might your choice affect your relatives – or even your entire community?

The first is a question people face when they donate organs. The second comes up when they participate in genetic research. This is because DNA from even a single individual can reveal a web of relationships, even helping law enforcement to solve crimes committed by distant relatives they have…

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