Well, here is my take on DNA "proof." How do you know that you are not matching any number of lines in VA, i.e., females, or some you don't even know you belong to? Everyone has some unknown female lines, and since there were not, comparably, that many people in early VA, what does it tell you? You would have to know every line, complete, to see that you are not matching some other way. Does this make sense? Carleen

--On Sunday, July 07, 2002 3:32 PM +0000 [email protected] wrote: > Well, here is my take on DNA "proof." How do you know that you are not > matching any number of lines in VA, i.e., females, or some you don't even > know you belong to? Everyone has some unknown female lines, and since > there were not, comparably, that many people in early VA, what does it > tell you? You would have to know every line, complete, to see that you > are not matching some other way. > Does this make sense? > Carleen I think it depends on what is being tested. As I understand it, the markers on the Y chromosome are a test of identity in the paternal line. If two males have the same Y chromosome markers, they are presumptively related, whether as siblings, or distant cousins. The Y chromosome is thought to be stable for many generations. Changes in the Y chromosome may occur over a period of centuries, but even then there are many points of similarity. The disadvantage is that Y chromosome analysis is limited to the male line. You probably have a valid point regarding other types of genetic testing. I agree that it is important to have as much information as possible about classical kinship information. Scott Jordan -- PA line