Ever wonder why cilantro tastes like dish soap to some people and completely fine to everyone else at the table? Or why your partner can down two espressos and fall right asleep, while one cup of coffee at noon wrecks your night?
That’s basically the whole premise of this site. Somewhere along the way, most of us pick up a handful of weird little traits – the mosquitoes that seem to love us specifically, the sneeze that hits the second we step into the sun, the earworm we can’t shake, the inability to smell that one flower everyone else swears is overpowering – and we mostly just shrug and accept them as “quirks.” Personality, maybe. Bad luck, maybe.
Turns out, a surprising number of them trace back to something much more specific: your genes.
Blame My Genes is a collection of (hopefully) genuinely interesting explanations for the weird, small, very human things about ourselves that most of us never bother to look up. No lab coats, no jargon, no lectures – just the actual science, explained the way we’d explain it to a friend, followed by an honest “so, does this mean anything for you?”
What you’ll find here
Articles are organized into a few loose categories – taste and smell, food and drink reactions, body quirks, sleep habits, personality tendencies, and fitness quirks – but honestly, the best way to use this site is to just start clicking on whatever sounds like you. We’ve also put together a quiz if you’d rather find your quirks that way.
Some of what you read here will feel like it was written specifically about you. That’s kind of the point.
A note on accuracy
We take the science seriously even when the tone is light. Every article is written to reflect current research as accurately as we can manage, and we try to be upfront about where the science is well-established versus where it’s still an evolving or oversimplified textbook explanation (tongue rolling and earlobe shape, we’re looking at you). That said, this site is for general interest and education, not medical advice – if you have a genuine health concern, a doctor or genetic counselor is always the better resource than a blog.
Questions or corrections?
Genetics is a fast-moving field, and we’re always happy to hear from readers – whether it’s a quirk you think we should cover, a correction on something we got wrong, or just a “hey, this explained so much, thank you.” You can reach us at mail@blamemygenes.com.
Blame My Genes is an independent publication and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any DNA testing company. All trademarks and product names belong to their respective owners.