She Sounds Just Like Her Great-Great-Great Grandmother

Visit an art museum, and you realize that we have only a rough idea of what our ancient forebears looked like. It's been less than two centuries since we've been able to capture a photographic record of how people actually looked -- and, for most of us, we're lucky if we have even faded photos of our own grandparents or, even less likely, our great-grandparents. Because those images are scarce, and scarcely candid, we have to strain to make out inter-generational resemblances -- and even then, they would have to apply solely to facial shapes and features. Your nose may be said to resemble a distant uncle's; your sister may have your great-aunt's eyes. Ain't biology grand?

Future generations will be luckier. They'll have audio and videographic records of not only what we look like today, but our facial mannerisms, hand gestures, body language. They'll be able to hear our voices. It will add a whole new dimension to observing and studying how behavioral traits are passed down. It won't just be physical resemblances they'll notice, but also how we walk and talk -- and sing a song, tell a joke, swing a bat, dance a hora. Our great-great-great grandchildren will be able to compare and contrast their own (and their contemporary families') actions and movements to ours.

So try not to be an embarassment!