The DAILY genealogy technology newsletter for genealogy
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Do you believe you are descended from Louis XVI? If so, proof may soon be available although only if you have an all-male line of descent. A DNA report may soon be available. A team of scientists have said they believe an old gourd contains the blood of the French King.
The monarch was killed by guillotine by French revolutionaries more than 200 years ago, on 21 January 1793. The team of experts from Spain and France has published its findings in Forensic Science International journal.
The Philly.com web site has a great news article about one of Megan Smolenyak's latest efforts. Staff Sgt. Zoltan Dobovich's family knew he died in the crash of a B-17 in the Alps on the Italian-French border on Nov. 1, 1946. The family also knew remains found at the crash site the following summer were buried in a common grave at Arlington Cemetery under a tombstone listing the names of all eight Army Air Force officers and airmen killed. However, they did not know whether any of the body parts recovered then or in subsequent decades as the glaciers on the Mont Blanc range retreated belonged to the radioman from Bucks County - until now.
Thanks in part to some detective work by genealogist Megan Smolenyak, the military was able to conduct DNA testing that identified some of the remains as those of Dobovich.
You can read more about this wonderful story in an article by Joseph A. Gambardello at http://goo.gl/vC53T.
A new web site details the search for the living male descendants of the 35 men who died on the Great Barrier Reef in 1791 during the wrecking of the Pandora. The intention is to find matching DNA (Y) signatures to sequences recently obtained from 3 skeletons recovered from the Pandora wreck in the 1990s.
The marine archaeologists who recovered the bones more than 200 years later had not expected to find human remains in the wreck. The skeletons were studied by medical scientists and affectionately nicknamed Tom, Dick and Harry and subsequently kept in secure, climate-controlled storage at the Queensland Museum, pending developments in DNA research which would one day perhaps present a way to identify the three unknown sailors.
The Wall Street Journal has published a short article by Anne Tergesen that serves as an introduction to the use of DNA in genealogy. She writes, "As recently as 2007, such tests cost as much as $1,000. Today, they generally run between $100 and $300 and offer users more information."
The article quotes Megan Smolenyak, Kelly Wheaton, Ugo Perego and CeCe Moore and mentions 23andMe, Family Tree DNA, Ancestry.com and National Geographic. It also explains some of the terminology encountered in DNA.
You can find the "Finding a Few Hundred Cousins" article at http://goo.gl/rEY5H.
The following announcement was written by the National Geographic Society:
WASHINGTON — The National Geographic Society today announced the next phase of its Genographic Project — the multiyear global research initiative that uses DNA to map the history of human migration. Building on seven years of global data collection, Genographic continues to shine new light on humanity’s collective past, yielding tantalizing clues about humankind’s journey across the planet.
“Our first phase drew participation from more than a half-million participants from over 130 countries. It is evidence of enormous interest in deep ancestry among the global public — tracing the paths their ancestors took as they migrated around the world over the past 60,000 years,” said Project Director Dr. Spencer Wells, a population geneticist and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence. “Now, the Genographic Project’s second phase creates an even greater citizen science opportunity — and the more people who participate, the more our scientific knowledge will grow.”
Family Tree DNA has announced a year-end sale with significant price reductions. The following is from the company's Facebook page:
As we ended our 8th Annual Genetic Genealogy Conference, several conference participants asked us to start our year-end sale as soon as possible. In answer to those requests we decided to start it immediately.
The following announcement was written by Richard Hill:
Finding Family: My Search for Roots and the Secrets in My DNA is the first book to chronicle the paradigm-shifting application of genetic genealogy to adoption search. Author Richard Hill tells how DNA testing identified his deceased biological father and helped him reunite with his siblings.
November is National Adoption Month and the seven million U.S. adoptees will be thinking about their first families…the mothers who gave them up for adoption, the fathers who helped create them, and the biological siblings they never knew. A new book, Finding Family: My Search for Roots and the Secrets in My DNA, gives a true and deeply personal account of adoptee Richard Hill’s quest for his biological heritage. The cornerstone of the book is his landmark use of DNA testing to unravel the lies and secrets surrounding his birth.
Family Tree DNA is offering a 72-hour sale and it has already started. The discounts are significant.
According to the announcement, "We are gearing this sale for newcomers and upgrades by promoting the Family Finder and the Full Mitochondria Sequence (FMS).This sale starts Friday, September 28, at 12:00am and ends Sunday, September 30, at 11:59PM.
The Black Death killed tens of millions of people in the 14th century. Now a DNA study holds promise that it might study the ancient disease to better understand modern infectious diseases.
Between 1348 and 1351, the Black Death -- or bubonic plague -- killed up to three in five people as it spread rapidly through pre-industrial cities, unchecked by sanitation or modern medicine. That, and subsequent waves of the Yersinia pestis bacterium, claimed the lives of tens of millions of Europeans. Direct descendants of the same plague still exist, killing about 2,000 people each year – although they are often now treatable with antibiotics.
Scientists now have sequenced the entire genome of the Black Death using DNA extracted from plague victims.
The DNA chromosomes used by genealogy tracking have been referred to as "junk DNA." That is, these parts of the DNA are not actual genes containing instructions for proteins. However, recent study shows that junk DNA is far more important than originally believed. Junk DNA apparently plays a critical role in controlling how cells, organs and other tissues behave. The discovery, considered a major medical and scientific breakthrough, has enormous implications for human health because many complex diseases appear to be caused by tiny changes in hundreds of gene switches.
While your DNA is unique, it also tells the tale of your family line. It carries the genetic history of your ancestors down through the generations. Now, says a Tel Aviv University researcher, it's also possible to use it as a map to your family's past.
Prof. Eran Halperin of TAU's Blavatnik School of Computer Science and Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology, along with a group of researchers from University of California, Los Angeles, are giving new meaning to the term "genetic mapping." Using a probabilistic model of genetic traits for every coordinate on the globe, the researchers claim to have developed a method for determining more precisely the geographical location of a person's ancestral origins.
CeCe Moore is writing a great series about DNA testing for genealogy for anyone who is new to DNA. Hosted on Geni.com, the series of articles is designed to answer the most commonly-asked questions. Part #1 was described in my earlier article at http://goo.gl/qUx7V. Part #2 was posted at http://goo.gl/CWCDe. Now Part #3 is available at http://goo.gl/gvsUZ.
This could cause major changes in the acceptance of DNA testing for genealogy as well as for many other purposes. 23andMe is asking the Food and Drug Administration to approve its personalized DNA test in a move that, if successful, could boost acceptance of technology that is viewed skeptically by leading scientists who question its usefulness.
The company's saliva-based kits have attracted scrutiny for claiming to help users detect whether they are likely to develop illnesses like breast cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer's.
CeCe Moore has written a great overview about DNA testing for genealogy for anyone who is new to DNA. Hosted on Geni.com, the series of articles is designed to answer the most commonly-asked questions. Part #1 was described in my earlier article at http://goo.gl/qUx7V. Now, Part #2 has been posted at http://goo.gl/CWCDe.
This looks like a major announcement for genealogy research with DNA: National Geographic is entering the next phase of their Genographic Project in partnership with Family Tree DNA and the genetic genealogy community. Continuing to move toward their goal of mapping the pattern of human genetics, the two organizations are introducing the new GenoChip 2.0.
This chip is specifically designed for ancestry testing and includes SNPs from autosomal DNA, X-DNA, Y-DNA and mtDNA. The design of the new chip was a collaborative effort between Eran Elhaik of Johns Hopkins, Spencer Wells of National Geographic, Family Tree DNA and Illumina. The testing will be done at FTDNA in Houston.
CeCe Moore has written a great overview about DNA testing for genealogy for anyone who is new to DNA. Hosted on Geni.com, the series of articles is designed to answer the most commonly-asked questions:
Do you have a general curiosity about genetic genealogy or is your focus more specific? Are you primarily interested in researching your surname?
Are there specific brick walls that you wish to target with the use of DNA testing?
How far back in your family tree are these brick walls?
What is the ancestral pattern back to these brick walls, i.e.- mother’s mother’s mother or father’s mother’s mother’s father?
Are you ready for a long-term project or do you desire quick answers?
Are there adoptions in your family tree that you would like to explore?
Is your primary interest receiving a percentage breakdown of your overall ancestral origins or “ethnicity”?
Dr. Brian Sykes is a Professor of Human Genetics at the University of Oxford and his research for his book, The Seven Daughters of Eve, has made it possible to trace our maternal ancestry back to seven specific prehistoric women. However, his book, Adam's Curse: A Future Without Men, raises some alarming questions for the entire human race.
Sykes recently quoted work by several scientists that claim that the males of our race are in the process of becoming extinct. Scientists say there's no question about it.
The following announcement was written by the Journal of Genetic Genealogy:
The editorial board of the Journal of Genetic Genealogy (JoGG) is very pleased to announce that Dr. Turi King has accepted the position of editor.
Dr. King's PhD thesis topic was The relationship between British surnames and Y-chromosomal haplotypes and she is also co-author (with George Redmonds and David Hey) of the book Surnames, DNA and Family History. Dr. King is currently a Research Associate in the Department of Genetics at the University of Leicester, where she is the manager for an interdisciplinary project The Impact of Diasporas in the Making of Britain. The scope of that project makes her familiar with many aspects of genetic genealogy. More details about her background and interests can be found at http://www.le.ac.uk/users/tek2/tek2.html.
I had the tables turned on me when Nick Barratt asked to interview me on his and Laura Berry's Family History Show. Nick and I talked mostly about the future of genealogy, especially about DNA. The Family History Show is a monthly video podcast or 'vodcast' where Nick and Laura showcase the latest in genealogy and personal heritage.
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