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Genetic Genealogy Research

Genealogy has benefited from DNA research and Genetic Genealogy as the science has now come of age. 

Under genetic genealogy, the first studies were conducted by Department of Biochemistry of the University of California at Berkeley. 

Their focus was the study of mitochondria DNA (mtDNA) that was a new kind of DNA recently discovered at that time. 

Why mtDNA

Firstly, mitochondrion DNA provides a magnified glimpse that is present in human gene pool. 

The reason for this is that genetic mutations accumulate in mtDNA faster than in the nucleus DNA

The second reason is that mtDNA is inherited from the mother’s side. 

Because of this, there is no DNA recombination providing for a tool to relate one person to another. 

Third reason is that there are nearly 1016 molecules of mtDNA in a normal human being. These molecules are on the whole identical to each other.

The studies taken up at the University of California had extraction of mitochondira DNA from 147 people taken from five different geographical populations. 

The result showed that all the mtDNA studied came from a single woman who had lived some 200,000 years ago at in Africa.

Researchers in Sweden carried out a similar study in 2000 wherein they took mtDNA from 53 people of different races. 

This study too came to a similar conclusion only that instead of earlier estimate of 200,000 years, the updated estimate of time period of our common ancestor was 171,500 years ago.

Y Chromosome

In 2000, a team of researchers led by Peter A from the Department of Genetics of Stanford University published their study of Y-chromosome. 

Their study was done taking a sample of 1062 ‘globally representative individuals.’ 

The conclusion of the study was that human beings in the modern world could have their ancestry traced to a common ancestor who left Africa some 35,000 to 89,000 years ago.

So far, genetic genealogy has been dealing with only two kinds of DNA: mtDNA from the maternal genetic material and the Y-chromosome DNA from father’s side. 

There is a third type of DNA called autosomal DNA. 

The reason why this type of DNA is not studied upto now is because scientists are unsure of the ways to determine if the autosomal DNA has come from the mother’s genetic pool or the father’s.

Conclusion

Researchers say that we have a common ancestry. 

It is interesting to know that there are chances where one may be related to Julius Caesar or Genghis Khan. 

Genetic genealogy will also assist in pinpointing genealogies with hereditary diseases. 

A far-fetched but nevertheless conceivable benefits are one may be related to wealthy individuals like Warren Buffet, George Sorros, the famous Kennedys and can then stake one’s claim to a windfall fortune!