Common Ancestry

There is a very interesting article on the BBC website today. Written by Dr. Yan Wong, it poses the question of how long it takes for the whole of humanity to have a common ancestor. Dr. Wong was initially researching the bloodline between King David and Jesus, but went on to widen the scope of the research to a modern setting.

Recent studies into DNA and the human genome have allowed scientists to speculate about ancestry, including making calculations about common ancestors. The problem arises due to the fact that the number of ancestors we have grows exponentially - 2 parents, 4 grandparents, 8 great-grandparents, etc. Since, according to the Bible, there were 1000 years and at least 35 generations between Jesus and King David, Jesus could potentially have had more than 34 billion ancestors! This is obviously impossible, and is what is known as the "genealogical paradox."

Dr. Wong clarifies this by stating that inbreeding has to be taken into account; in other words certain common ancestors can exist in different branches of your family tree, and are therefore mistakenly counted twice. 

Further calculation based on this theory throws up some very interesting numbers regarding common ancestry. For example, it is estimated that the most recent common ancestor of all human beings alive today would have existed only 3000 years ago. That is astounding. Furthermore, this means in turn that somebody alive today will be the common ancestor of the entire population of the Earth in 3000 years time. 

Just think of how many genealogical records our descendants will have at their disposal!

I'm not doing the article justice here, so please visit the BBC website to view it in its entirety.

Using DNA Testing In Genealogy

I just read a very interesting genealogy article on the BBC website, entitled "How I Traced My Ancestry Back To The Stone Age." Now, the headline was obviously designed to pique the interest of any genealogist, although as it turned out it was a little misleading. 

The article was written by a genealogist who had been researching her Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry for years. Due to the changes that have occurred in Europe over the years in terms of countries' borders changing, she found it very difficult to determine exactly where her ancestors came from. This led her to investigate DNA testing, which is the main focus of the article.

The article explains how there are companies who will, for a fee, take a sample of your DNA, and test it using a process known as genotyping. By comparing DNA with a database of known reference populations these companies can determine where in the world your ancestors were most likely to have come from. As an example, a huge percentage of the inhabitants of the Orkney Islands have common DNA with Scandinavians, due to the invasion and habitation of those islands by the Vikings from around the ninth century.

The results of the author's DNA test confirmed her European Jewish heritage, and pinpointed her ancestry to modern day Russia, Poland, and Belarus.There were also links to the Iberian Peninsula fifteen thousand years ago. Amazingly, the test could also prove that the author had Neanderthal DNA, hence the title of the article.

It appears that this technology can be another method used by genealogists to unravel their family history. It is, of course, impossible to trace your family tree back to the Stone Age, but it is nevertheless fascinating and useful to have an idea of where your distant ancestors came from. In addition, genome research is expected to become much more advanced in the next few years, meaning that ancestry can be accurately pinpointed to very specific locations, such as an individual village.

Exciting times ahead...

The Health Benefits Of Genealogy

Genealogy is an enjoyable hobby to have. I find researching my family history to be exciting, and it's something that makes me happy. That's why I devote so much of my leisure time to it. Hobbies, including genealogy, have long been known to reduce stress levels and to promote overall well being.

Family history research can undoubtedly be challenging, however. Sometimes the trail goes cold on a particular ancestor, and you just can't discover anything new about them. This is when your detective skills come to the fore. You have to approach your brick wall from a different perspective in order to find a way through it. In this way genealogy can be about solving puzzles, and is a great way to keep the brain active.

The real point of this post, however, is to point out the importance of genetics. Your family history can provide clues about any illnesses or disorders that you might have a predisposition to. The importance of genetics is the reason that doctors will always ask about the history of your family's health. 

Since beginning my family tree research I have discovered ancestors who have died from various forms of cancer, heart disease, and historical killers such as tuberculosis. Death certificates can provide a huge amount of detailed information, and can be very interesting to read. As a side note, it can often be useful to look at who the informant on the death certificate is, as this can reveal a previously unknown relation.

Finding the causes of your ancestors' deaths is a fascinating part of researching your family tree, but it can also give you an important insight into your personal health. I have to be wary of the fact that both of my grandfathers died of stomach cancer, for example. It's not something that will necessarily affect the way I live my life, but being aware of the health history of my family is just another of the benefits of my genealogical research.