Pieces of You
If someone is given a perfect transfusion, an event in which the body does not reject a blood transfusion whatsoever, they will likely take on some of the donor’s DNA. Even in a situation like this, which is much more common than a bone marrow transfusion, the human body can become subject to taking on someone else’s information. In fact, there is a disorder that is now being studied that explains these moments of possessing someone else within you…
You're Just Like Me
Microchimerism is when a small fraction of your living cells belong to someone else. This most commonly occurs when a woman gets pregnant, and fragments of their baby’s DNA find their way into her bloodstream. In fact, infant DNA is found in more than 75% of pregnant mothers, and not just in their bloodstream. Tissue samples from kidneys, spleens, ovaries, and stomach linings have illuminated the fact that pregnant mothers take on a larger piece of their children than previously thought…