Technoscience and Environment. As she is an anthropologist specializing in the cultural intersection of science and technology, TallBear is a frequent media commentator on issues of Tribal membership, genetics and identity. Areas of study DNA and Indigenous identities TallBear’s first book, Native American DNA: Tribal Belonging and the False Promise of Genetic Science, was released in 2013 by the University of Minnesota Press. Described as a "provocative and incisive work of interdisciplinary scholarship", the book examines the science of hereditary genetics and the problematic consequences for Indigenous identities. Specifically, TallBear’s critique focuses on the ways the language employed by genetic scientists—and its subsequent marketing of DNA testing—can reduce what it means to be Indigenous to genetically determined characteristics. TallBear’s research shows how this often relies on traditions of scientific racism historically directed at Indigenous populations. The assertion of genetic determinism, TallBear argues, is often at odds with generations of cultural traditions Indigenous communities have used to collectively self-identify—traditions that focus on relationships, and shared value systems negotiated by social relations. TallBear's work documents Indigenous communities across a diverse range of contexts in order to demonstrate the ways Indigenous identities are muted and amplified to the advantage of settler populations. In defending the ethics of Indigenous jurisdiction over their own identities, TallBear argues Indigenous Peoples know their history better than settlers. In light of this, TallBear has drawn attention to the problems of the settler scientific community attempting to direct the boundaries of Indigenous identities. TallBear points to the history of the scientific community negatively impacting Indigenous communities as a reason for researchers to approach issues of Indigenous identity with deep care and respect for these histories. TallBear has criticized researchers who do not invest considerable time in building relationships with the Indigenous populations with which they wish to study. For TallBear, the need for embedded research stems from the important role cultural practices and specific relational contexts play in shaping Indigenous identity. Critiques of Elizabeth Warren's claims to Indigenous ancestry In 2018, Senator Elizabeth Warren released the results of a DNA test to prove her claim to Cherokee Native American ancestry. This raised many questions surrounding how one can claim Native American ancestry and who can decide if these claims are true or false. In Native American DNA: Tribal Belonging and the False Promise of Genetic Science, TallBear argues that genetic testing is a scientifically unreliable method. Since much of