Biohacked: family secrets - a new podcast unveiling the startling true stories of the baby business

BioHacked: Family Secrets, the new podcast from Sony Music Entertainment’s Global Podcast Division, dives into the complexities of the fertility industry and chronicles how real people’s lives are transformed by evolving technology. Premiering today and hosted by journalist T.J. Raphael, season one follows the children of anonymous sperm and egg donors as they uncover the identities of their donors and gather vital medical information. Unexpected ethical, scientific, and political challenges arise that question all aspects of the baby business. The first two episodes are available now.

“BioHacked: Family Secrets” kicks off with the personal story of a woman who unintentionally found out she was born through an anonymous sperm donation after doing a DNA kit and discovering her half-sister. At age 30, she faced a complex mystery as she tried to track down her biological father for answers. This experience highlights how new technology disrupts the long-held secrets of the fertility industry and the challenges children of anonymous donors face searching for answers.

“New technologies like 23 and Me and Ancestry.com are disrupting the baby business in ways that were never foreseen by doctors decades ago,” said host T.J. Raphael. “I look forward to sharing emotional stories that sit at the intersection of medicine and technology and show how the children of anonymous donors are navigating complicated family dynamics and political challenges as they take on the fertility industry.”

Future episodes will focus on pioneering research into cryopreservation, a selective breeding experiment powered by a genius sperm bank, and the underground trade for sperm and eggs online. “BioHacked: Family Secrets” will also examine the story of the first IVF baby, and how commercial genetic testing kits now allow people to be their own DNA detectives.

The series is produced by T.J. Raphael, Nick Mott, Shane McKeon, Jennifer Sigl and Khrista Rpyl. It is edited by Maureen McMurry.

Listeners can follow the show on Apple Podcasts and all other major podcast platforms. Subscribers to BioHacked Plus on Apple Podcasts will be treated to ad-free episodes and the exclusive bonus series “DNA Reveal,” which explores other shocking stories of identity and DNA through someone’s real story of how commercial DNA kits impacted their lives.

For more information on “BioHacked: Family Secrets” and all other Sony Music Entertainment Global Podcast shows, follow @SonyPodcasts on Twitter and Instagram.