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
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