Tracing your DNA through the ages...

[OGC]

Hey Dr Steve, what's the story with DNA ? I know that they can determine paternity with it, but how far down the family tree is it reliable ? For example, if you took my DNA and George Washington's could you tell if we were related ?

Also as a hypothetical, what could be told if they took a DNA sample of everyone in the world and fed the data into a super-duper computer ?

[Suspect Chin]

Hey Dr Steve, what's the story with DNA ? I know that they can determine paternity with it, but how far down the family tree is it reliable ? For example, if you took my DNA and George Washington's could you tell if we were related ?

Also as a hypothetical, what could be told if they took a DNA sample of everyone in the world and fed the data into a super-duper computer ?

This (http://i50.tinypic.com/15e9qo0.jpg) is kinda interesting.

[hydee]

Hey Dr Steve, what's the story with DNA ? I know that they can determine paternity with it, but how far down the family tree is it reliable ? For example, if you took my DNA and George Washington's could you tell if we were related ?

Also as a hypothetical, what could be told if they took a DNA sample of everyone in the world and fed the data into a super-duper computer ?


This is a cool read. Along the idea of DNA migration.

https://genographic.nationalgeographic.com/genographic/index.html

[Dr Steve]

Hey Dr Steve, what's the story with DNA ? I know that they can determine paternity with it, but how far down the family tree is it reliable ? For example, if you took my DNA and George Washington's could you tell if we were related ?

Also as a hypothetical, what could be told if they took a DNA sample of everyone in the world and fed the data into a super-duper computer ?

Hydee nailed it...that's a very interesting article.

One cool thing is that maternal DNA is well conserved in the Mitochondria of the human cell. Mitochondria appear to be rudimentary bacteria that became part of the necessary development of more advanced cells. They produce energy and do some other cool stuff and are "organelles" in the main body of human cells.

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j48/annahybrid/cell-diagram.jpg

http://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/images/7/7b/Mito_pic_diagram.gif

Anyway, Mitochondrial DNA is only passed down from the mother, no mixing of paternal DNA occurs during fertilization of the egg. This DNA is pretty pristine and can be traced back to caveman days.

If you're interested, you can have your mitochondrial DNA analyzed for a reasonable fee.

Check this mess out: http://www.dnaancestryproject.com/?gclid=COKH0omk954CFRrJsgodAGJOKA

The human genome project is trying to do exactly what you suggested...it'll be interesting to see what comes out of it.

your pal,


steve

PS: On a somewhat similar subjecxt, Northern Europeans are uniquely non-pigmented. Why is that? Listen to Weird Medicine in January to find out!