Try talking to relatives like an anthropologist

+ a better cancer-fighting immune cell therapy US Edition - Today's top story: Over the holidays, try talking to your relatives like an anthropologist [View in browser]( US Edition | 16 December 2022 [The Conversation]( Anthropologist Elizabeth Keating was close with her parents. Yet after they passed away, she felt a twinge of regret – there were so many things she wished she had asked them while they were still alive. All those years living under the same roof, all those holidays spent together, and still, there was a void – so much about their lives, childhoods and beliefs that remained hidden. The realization inspired Keating, who teaches at University of Texas at Austin College of Liberal Arts, to use her scholarly training to write a guide for how to interrogate family members. To do so, she spent years interviewing older people in order to [develop a set of questions that would facilitate insights into their youth]( and the development of their worldviews. The experience, she writes, “opened whole new worlds for me.” This holiday season, as you gather with family members, it might be a good idea to put on your anthropologist’s hat and take heed of Keating’s tips for bridging the generational divide. One small request: If you appreciate the journalism we bring you each day, we would appreciate your partnership with us. [Your monthly donation]( of the amount you would spend on a book or a streaming service will keep us going strong. Also today: - [1918 pandemic had unusually small racial inequality in flu deaths]( - [Podcast: Astronomers share secrets from James Webb Space Telescope]( - [Test your knowledge of current events with our weekly news quiz]( Nick Lehr Arts + Culture Editor Today's newsletter supported by [readers like you.]( Many people go their entire lives knowing little about their relatives’ childhoods and formative experiences. 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