A DNA Story
Mystery
Mystery
A DNA Story
Biology is certainly different than it was when I studied peas in high
school. I find it exciting to be a witness to changes in the field of
bio-genetics. Genes are responsible for all human traits including
health, behavior, and disease. Geneticists have influenced forensics,
medicine, agriculture, pharmaceutics, and what we know about the
origins of human beings. The discovery of new genetic markers helps
fill gaps in where we came from. Our personal histories will eventually
go back to the beginning of human existence-a fascinating thought.
Over the years, I've had three DNA tests. The first was for medical
reasons while the next two were because of curiosity. Fortunately, I
was told I did not carry genes for a type of cancer common in people
with Jewish heritage. Without need for additional medical help, I
happily turned my attention to discovering my ancestors. I was
delighted when my partner gave me a gift that let me to participate in
the National Geographic Genome study.
The Genome Study's mission was to track the diaspora of human beings
who left Africa approximately 180,000 years ago. Due to overpopulation
and depletion of natural resources tribes were forced to move in search
of better hunting and agricultural land. As they do today, thousands of
people escaped to the north.
Scientists use genetic markers to identify the paths traveled through
Northern Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Europe.They do this by
looking for muted genes that are passed on to future generations. It is
like watching a tree grow. Each mutated gene forms a new branch that
can be followed. Paths are mapped to show how people diversified into
separate (genome) groupings. These trails show when am individual's
ancestors evolved from being hunter-gatherers to farmers.
My kit arrived with easy-to-follow instructions. All I had to do was
rub cotton swabs inside of my mouth, put them in an envelope and return
it for analysis. Getting results back took longer than the promised
six-week turnaround time, but I was able to follow their progress
online. Four months later, I had a story to tell. My family traveled
through the Middle East - Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, and then went north
through eastern Europe and England. I was surprised to learn I had a
minuscule amount of Neanderthal genes, proof of intermingling between
Neanderthal and Homo Sapiens in the area around Jordan.
Results were interesting but didn't provide as thorough an
understanding as I wished. By being a woman with two X chromosomes only
the female side of my ancestry was followed. It would have been more
informative if by brother was the one tested, for my history is the
same as his. The Y chromosome is special in that it links men back to
their common male ancestors. He would have obtained information about
my father's side of the family as well as my mother's.
The other disappointment was that the information gave a story that
ended about 5,000 years ago. Happily, my daughter filled in some of the
gaps with a gift that led me back in time from today. Ancestry.com
introduced me to my European heritage. They even provided a list of
people who might be related. I found my grandparent's Ellis Island
documents and located my father's family on early U.S. census roles. If
I had the time, I could dig more deeply and develop a family tree. The
study has made me quite curious about Riga, Latvia where his family
resided for many generations.
As in all things, good and bad predicaments often accompany innovation.
Genetic information can become the target of misuse by those who act
out of greed or naively do not consider ethical implications. Concerns
around such things as genetically modified food, sharing of medical
information without consent, and cloning human beings abound. With that
in mind, if you decide to participate in a genetic study, it is wise to
understand how your personal information will be used.
The first phase of the National Geographic Genome Project ended on
December 31, 2019. The study was considered a great success. Over one
million people participated from over 140 countries. Researchers can
apply for access to the massive amount of data amassed since 2005.
Have you ever received gene therapy or participated in genetic
experimentation of any kind? How about genealogical research based on
your DNA? Were you surprised by your results? Do share your experiences
and concerns on my blog site .
References:
The following Youtube videos and internet sites are informative.
Video about the National Geographic Genome project (12 years ago) NAT
GEO
( this tells about
the start of the project and what they hope to find)
Video about DNA Mysteries The Search for ADAM National Geographic
Documentary (2 years ago) ADAM
(This shows a search for the scientific Adam that leads to the
roots of humanity's family tree)
Video Lessons from the Human Genome Project ( one year ago) HUMAN
Takezawa, Y., Kato, K., Oota, H. et al. (2014) BMC Medical Ethics. BMC
part of Springer Nature. Article number 33 retrieved from JAPAN
For information about Ancestry's DNA Program go to -
www.ancestry.com/DNA
____________________________________________________________
art is always for sale. For information contact me at
marilynne@eichingerfineart.com.
Mystery is a 36" by 12" acrylic painting on deep canvas. $399
Sent from:
{{FASO_DOMAIN}}
{{AM_COMPANY_NAME}}
{{AM_COMPANY_ADDRESS}}
{{AM_CSZ}}
{{AM_COUNTRY}} Artful Mail by FASO
Learn More about ArtfulMail
unsubscribe from this newsletter