They found relatives on 23andMe—and asked for a cut of the inheritance

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illuminem summarises for you the essential news of the day. Read the full piece on The Wall Street Journal or enjoy below:

🗞️ Driving the news: Consumer DNA tests are increasingly uncovering previously unknown biological relatives, and some are now approaching families to claim a share of inheritances
• Cases like that of Carmen Thomas—who discovered two half-sisters through 23andMe years after her presumed father died—illustrate how surprise heirs are complicating estate settlements and creating legal and emotional upheaval for surviving families

🔭 The context: The widespread adoption of DNA testing has transformed genealogy, revealing hidden parentage, donor-conceived siblings, and undisclosed relationships
• As more people connect genetic matches with probate proceedings, estate lawyers are grappling with disputes over whether newly identified relatives have legal standing
• Most U.S. inheritance laws were written long before consumer genomics existed, creating grey areas around late-discovered biological children and their rights when a will is silent or unclear

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Although a human-interest and legal story, the rise of consumer genomics raises environmental implications tied to data-driven technologies
• Growing demand for genetic testing expands the footprint of biotech supply chains—laboratories, data storage and energy-intensive computing—which require responsible resource use and sustainable data governance
• As personal genomic data becomes more central to social and legal systems, ensuring that these technologies operate with minimal environmental impact will be increasingly important

⏭️ What's next: Legal experts expect more inheritance disputes as DNA testing becomes ubiquitous
• Some states are reviewing probate laws to clarify how genetically verified relatives should be treated when no prior relationship existed
• Estate planners may increasingly advise clients to update wills to avoid conflicts
• For families, the trend is prompting new conversations about privacy, disclosure and the emotional complexity of newly discovered kinship

💬 One quote: “People are showing up with DNA matches and asking for a cut of the inheritance—it’s a legal landscape no one prepared for,” an estate attorney told WSJ

📈 One stat: More than 12 million Americans have taken consumer DNA tests, dramatically increasing the likelihood of identifying previously unknown relatives

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