Of the many things that DNA is, or can be, presumably the most reliable is as a marker of recent ancestry. You got half of your DNA from mom, and half from dad. In a situation of contested parenthood, the evidence of DNA is the gold standard. Careers in daytime television attest admirably to that fact.

With great authority, however, comes great responsibility, and responsibility isn’t a scientific concept; consequently, “responsibility” represents humanists sometimes having to hold the reins on scientific practice.