Web Reads: Can a little knowledge be a dangerous thing?

Painful histories. The personal genome-mapping company 23andMe markets itself to family history enthusiasts, promising to “bring your family to life.” But this fascinating article in Vox shows that in at least 7,000 cases, “users have discovered that their parents weren’t who they thought they were, or that they they had siblings they never knew existed.” In the past, users had to opt-in to discover those family connections, but now it will happen automatically, leading to more possibly painful discoveries.

The story of one biologist whose curiosity led him to use the 23andMe service—and give it as a gift to his parents—led to the bleakly titled essay, “With genetic testing, I gave my parents the gift of divorce.”

Too little, too late? In Foreign Policy, reporter Laurie Garrett explains what it would take to fight an effective campaign against Ebola—and accuses the international community of waiting so long that the epidemic may be out of control.

Rewriting history. Bill Gates is funding the development of a course he hopes will take the place of high school World History, which took the place of Western Civilization. So far, more than 15,000 high school students are taking it, as this New York Times story explains. Neither Gates nor reporter Andrew Ross Sorkin ask whether its basic evolutionary premise is wrong.

Love of reading. My memories of high school English classes include tedious sessions picking apart books I never wanted to read in the first place. That experience is all too common, as this list of “13 BOOKS WE HATED IN HIGH SCHOOL, BUT LOVED — OR AT LEAST TOLERATED — AS ADULTS” shows. Wise parents and teachers need to be mindful not to squeeze the love of reading out their kids.