Hello Ken Ken Sharon is right there are a lot of people who just want to sell a service the buyer is the one who has to determine if they got what they expected. I remember when I was in my teens 1967 or so and my mother was getting junk mail even then. One was on genealogy and they claimed they could provide this information that would explain our family genealogy, obviously that would be a generalization they have no knowledge of her personal Brownell relations. DNA at least the way I understand it, you take samples from males who have a proven genealogy background and compare other males with the same surname. Their genealogy may be similar or they are trying to match up with the proven genealogy. Depending on how much you pay depends on the number of identifiers in the test which makes it more accurate but only if another person with the same results get themselves tested otherwise there is nothing to compare your tests to. That is why it can make things easier if you know of cousins with the same surname that will get tested to have something to compare to with a proven genealogy. Ron

Very interesting and I agree. I found out my younger sister is not the least bit interested in ancestry, my older sister is very interested. We can trace some ancestry back to the mid 1700's, eight generations back, but much of our ancestry I can only go back four generations on. In fact, I can't find where my Irish ancestors lived in Ireland, in spite of the fact I know where my great uncle sailed from. I suspect, his other two brothers and my great grandfather sailed from the same port. The trouble is once you go back to Europe, it becomes very difficult to trace ancestry, especially for the Germans. Most of their records were destroyed during WWII. Not surprising either. I went into downtown Frankfurt, where the old walled city existed during Charlemagne's time. After our bombing the only walls left standing was to some old church, the rest was less than 6' high. It surprises me anyone survived the war. My problem is I would like to know where my ancestry came from and what it was like when they lived. Knowing that I am related to some 10-20,000 other people, through DNA testing does not do much for me. Dick **************************************See AOL's top rated recipes (http://food.aol.com/top-rated-recipes?NCID=aoltop00030000000004)

I think you would have to rely on what the people doing research have told us. If you don't want to belive that, it is your choice. Dick **************************************See AOL's top rated recipes (http://food.aol.com/top-rated-recipes?NCID=aoltop00030000000004)

Interesting, but can he detail how he is related? Dick **************************************See AOL's top rated recipes (http://food.aol.com/top-rated-recipes?NCID=aoltop00030000000004)

Actually, my husband had DNA testing through National Geographic and was very pleased with the results. He was given the names of several others in the data base with whom he was connected most distantly, but one fairly closely. He was able to contact them. He is now going to request a further level of testing that should identify more genetic markers. Diane ----- Original Message ----- From: "Lois Everard" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, January 01, 2008 11:26 AM Subject: Re: [NYLEWIS] DNA testing > Sharon, > > I'm sure we agree that we can't count our chickens before they're hatched. > (Smile) > > Ken > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Sharon Howell" <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Tuesday, January 01, 2008 10:56 AM > Subject: Re: [NYLEWIS] DNA testing > > >> Ken, obviously there are pros and cons to this. I was just trying to >> contribute another point of view. I don't particularly agree that >> "something >> is better than nothing", if the "something" is questionable. >> >> Sharon (not Nancy) >> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: "Ken Everard" <[email protected]> >> To: <[email protected]> >> Sent: Tuesday, January 01, 2008 10:43 AM >> Subject: Re: [NYLEWIS] DNA testing >> >> >>> Nancy, that's a fancy response but some of us don't accept your ideas. >>> What >>> is the proof that they are fraudulent? Something is better than >>> nothing. >>> At least we do know that the origin of man came from Africa and over the >>> millennia moved north for some reason that is unknown. That concept >>> also >>> applies to South America and the southern far East as well. >>> >>> Ken >>> >>> >>> >>> Subject: [NYLEWIS] DNA testing >>> >>> >>>>I normally lurk on this list, but I wanted to share with listers this >>>>information that was sent to the Genealogy Bits and Pieces list by Sally >>>>Rolls Pavia, a frequent contributor to that list, especially in light of >>>>the ongoing discussion of the pros and cons of DNA testing. >>>> Sharon Howell >>>> >>>> DNA Kits: Secrets of Your Past or Scientific Scam? >>>> By Meredith F. Small, LiveScience's Human Nature Columnist >>>> Posted: 07 December 2007 08:05 am ET >>>> www.livescience.com/history/071207-hn-dna-kits.html >>>> >>>> One of the by-products of human consciousness is self-consciousness, >>>> that >>>> is >>>> knowing deeply that you are alive. >>>> >>>> Part of self-consciousness is also wondering where we came from; it's >>>> clearly human nature to seek one's roots. >>>> >>>> For some people, that task is relatively easy because there are oral >>>> legends >>>> or written words that go back at least several generations (assuming >>>> family >>>> history is passed down accurately). But for most people, the path >>>> backwards >>>> is rocky, cluttered with confusing detour signs, or simply blank. >>>> >>>> For Americans, citizens of the quintessential melting pot, the quest >>>> for >>>> identity often propels older people (it's interesting that we often >>>> search >>>> for our dead relatives while looking death square in the face) to the >>>> lists >>>> of immigrants into Ellis Island or other ports of entry into the United >>>> States and to the repository of genealogy in Salt Lake City. >>>> >>>> It also leads unwary seekers of the past right into the hands of scam >>>> artists who claim they can trace anyone's DNA back to its source. >>>> >>>> Anyone with a spare $100 to $900 can buy a "DNA ancestry kit." >>>> Self-collection of DNA requires only a quick swab of the inside of the >>>> mouth >>>> to gather cheek cells. Mail that smear back and the company will then >>>> compare your DNA to various other samples. >>>> >>>> But claims that this analysis will tell you much about where you came >>>> from >>>> are downright fraudulent, anthropologist Deborah Bolnick of the >>>> University >>>> of Texas at Austin and 14 co-authors recently reported. >>>> >>>> Instead of tracing our genetic past, what we get is a scientific scam. >>>> >>>> "It sure looks like science," says anthropologist Jonathan Marks of the >>>> University of North Carolina, Charlotte, one of the authors of the >>>> study. >>>> Well, it is science. It's done by scientists, and it's done on DNA >>>> samples. >>>> And it produces real data." >>>> >>>> But, Marks points out, these companies are preying on the public >>>> because >>>> they simply don't have enough comparative information to pinpoint a >>>> gene >>>> on >>>> a world map. They might match your DNA to some group on some continent, >>>> but >>>> what they don't tell you is that you would probably also match the >>>> group >>>> next door if only they had some of those samples as well. >>>> >>>> More insidious, these companies pretend to trace your unique ancestry >>>> through mitochondrial DNA, but that's simply not possible. A few >>>> hundred >>>> years, a few generations, and every person's history is a genetic >>>> mishmash. >>>> One little gene isn't going to inform anybody about anything. >>>> >>>> As Marks puts it, "That's the beauty of this scam. The companies aren't >>>> scamming you. They're not giving you fraudulent information. They are >>>> giving >>>> you data, real data, and allowing you to scam yourself." >>>> >>>> Humans have, in fact, turned the whole world into one large genetic >>>> melting >>>> pot. We have always been a species that crossed mountains, continents >>>> and >>>> oceans; we have always loved to mate outside our ancestral group. >>>> >>>> If you want to know who you are, look in the mirror. Written on your >>>> face >>>> is >>>> countless generations that have survived to reproduce, and the only >>>> thing >>>> you can realistically do at this point is thank them and then move >>>> forward. >>>> >>>> Meredith F. Small is an anthropologist at Cornell University. She is >>>> also >>>> the author of "Our Babies, Ourselves; How Biology and Culture Shape the >>>> Way >>>> We Parent" (link) and "The Culture of Our Discontent; Beyond the >>>> Medical >>>> Model of Mental Illness >>>> >>>> ------------------------------- >>>> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >>>> [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the >>>> quotes in the subject and the body of the message >>>> >>> >>> >>> >>> ------------------------------- >>> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >>> [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the >>> quotes in the subject and the body of the message >>> >> >> >> >> ------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >> [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the >> quotes in the subject and the body of the message >> >> > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Yeah, but when it come to DNA testing it is questionable whether the results are worht the effort. If you just go back 8 generations see how many grandparents you had. For instance: Your mother and father - 1 generation 2 people Grandfather and grandmother - 2 generation 4 people their parents - 3 generation 8 people " " - 4 generation 16 people " " - 5 generation 32 people " " - 6 generation 64 people " " - 7 generation 132 people " " - 8 generation 264 people After 8 generations you will be related to at least 518, just counting your direct ancestors. If you count their descendants also, you could easily be related to 10,000 or more, all of which will have some matching DNA, so it becomes a question of how relevant it is. Sure, we probably all descended from a common ancestor in Africa. But since then there has been a wide divergence due to survival rates, environment, natural selection process, etc. So, and I think someone else said this going past the year 1500 A.D., if that is possible, which in most cases it isn't, just has no real meaning. So, why do DNA, it won't tell you anything you couldn't guess anyway. Dick **************************************See AOL's top rated recipes (http://food.aol.com/top-rated-recipes?NCID=aoltop00030000000004)

I have found interesting all of the postings on this subject. Personally, I'm not concerned from where humans originated. All of the scientific and anthropological results are not yet final. Every few years new evidence IS discovered. And haven't Americans, OTHER than members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, really gotten into researching their ancestors only since "ROOTS", by Alex Haley, was on TV? I read that that program created a great surge in people looking for their own roots. I belong to a surname family association, and they are currently doing DNAs, but ONLY for male members. So I guess I'll never find a match because I'm female.ha. I have found several cousins, tho, without DNA. We are in the 7th generation from our common ancestor, who was a soldier in the Revolutionary war, whose ancestors go back to 1500's. Now all of this is very interesting as we constantly read or hear that ancestors for most Americans emmigrated here in the 1800's. But you know, my immediate siblings and first cousins are not the least interested in this knowledge. They are just too busy LIVING to have time for such stuff. An elder aunt, now dead, said "why do you want to know about them, they are all dead!" Kind of a let-down to me after all the years of research I have done. I think most Americans today are descended from other Americans, and we are no longer immigrants. Viva

Sharon, I'm sure we agree that we can't count our chickens before they're hatched. (Smile) Ken ----- Original Message ----- From: "Sharon Howell" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, January 01, 2008 10:56 AM Subject: Re: [NYLEWIS] DNA testing > Ken, obviously there are pros and cons to this. I was just trying to > contribute another point of view. I don't particularly agree that > "something > is better than nothing", if the "something" is questionable. > > Sharon (not Nancy) > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Ken Everard" <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Tuesday, January 01, 2008 10:43 AM > Subject: Re: [NYLEWIS] DNA testing > > >> Nancy, that's a fancy response but some of us don't accept your ideas. >> What >> is the proof that they are fraudulent? Something is better than nothing. >> At least we do know that the origin of man came from Africa and over the >> millennia moved north for some reason that is unknown. That concept also >> applies to South America and the southern far East as well. >> >> Ken >> >> >> >> Subject: [NYLEWIS] DNA testing >> >> >>>I normally lurk on this list, but I wanted to share with listers this >>>information that was sent to the Genealogy Bits and Pieces list by Sally >>>Rolls Pavia, a frequent contributor to that list, especially in light of >>>the ongoing discussion of the pros and cons of DNA testing. >>> Sharon Howell >>> >>> DNA Kits: Secrets of Your Past or Scientific Scam? >>> By Meredith F. Small, LiveScience's Human Nature Columnist >>> Posted: 07 December 2007 08:05 am ET >>> www.livescience.com/history/071207-hn-dna-kits.html >>> >>> One of the by-products of human consciousness is self-consciousness, >>> that >>> is >>> knowing deeply that you are alive. >>> >>> Part of self-consciousness is also wondering where we came from; it's >>> clearly human nature to seek one's roots. >>> >>> For some people, that task is relatively easy because there are oral >>> legends >>> or written words that go back at least several generations (assuming >>> family >>> history is passed down accurately). But for most people, the path >>> backwards >>> is rocky, cluttered with confusing detour signs, or simply blank. >>> >>> For Americans, citizens of the quintessential melting pot, the quest for >>> identity often propels older people (it's interesting that we often >>> search >>> for our dead relatives while looking death square in the face) to the >>> lists >>> of immigrants into Ellis Island or other ports of entry into the United >>> States and to the repository of genealogy in Salt Lake City. >>> >>> It also leads unwary seekers of the past right into the hands of scam >>> artists who claim they can trace anyone's DNA back to its source. >>> >>> Anyone with a spare $100 to $900 can buy a "DNA ancestry kit." >>> Self-collection of DNA requires only a quick swab of the inside of the >>> mouth >>> to gather cheek cells. Mail that smear back and the company will then >>> compare your DNA to various other samples. >>> >>> But claims that this analysis will tell you much about where you came >>> from >>> are downright fraudulent, anthropologist Deborah Bolnick of the >>> University >>> of Texas at Austin and 14 co-authors recently reported. >>> >>> Instead of tracing our genetic past, what we get is a scientific scam. >>> >>> "It sure looks like science," says anthropologist Jonathan Marks of the >>> University of North Carolina, Charlotte, one of the authors of the >>> study. >>> Well, it is science. It's done by scientists, and it's done on DNA >>> samples. >>> And it produces real data." >>> >>> But, Marks points out, these companies are preying on the public because >>> they simply don't have enough comparative information to pinpoint a gene >>> on >>> a world map. They might match your DNA to some group on some continent, >>> but >>> what they don't tell you is that you would probably also match the group >>> next door if only they had some of those samples as well. >>> >>> More insidious, these companies pretend to trace your unique ancestry >>> through mitochondrial DNA, but that's simply not possible. A few hundred >>> years, a few generations, and every person's history is a genetic >>> mishmash. >>> One little gene isn't going to inform anybody about anything. >>> >>> As Marks puts it, "That's the beauty of this scam. The companies aren't >>> scamming you. They're not giving you fraudulent information. They are >>> giving >>> you data, real data, and allowing you to scam yourself." >>> >>> Humans have, in fact, turned the whole world into one large genetic >>> melting >>> pot. We have always been a species that crossed mountains, continents >>> and >>> oceans; we have always loved to mate outside our ancestral group. >>> >>> If you want to know who you are, look in the mirror. Written on your >>> face >>> is >>> countless generations that have survived to reproduce, and the only >>> thing >>> you can realistically do at this point is thank them and then move >>> forward. >>> >>> Meredith F. Small is an anthropologist at Cornell University. She is >>> also >>> the author of "Our Babies, Ourselves; How Biology and Culture Shape the >>> Way >>> We Parent" (link) and "The Culture of Our Discontent; Beyond the Medical >>> Model of Mental Illness >>> >>> ------------------------------- >>> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >>> [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the >>> quotes in the subject and the body of the message >>> >> >> >> >> ------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >> [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the >> quotes in the subject and the body of the message >> > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message > >

Ken, obviously there are pros and cons to this. I was just trying to contribute another point of view. I don't particularly agree that "something is better than nothing", if the "something" is questionable. Sharon (not Nancy) ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ken Everard" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, January 01, 2008 10:43 AM Subject: Re: [NYLEWIS] DNA testing > Nancy, that's a fancy response but some of us don't accept your ideas. > What > is the proof that they are fraudulent? Something is better than nothing. > At least we do know that the origin of man came from Africa and over the > millennia moved north for some reason that is unknown. That concept also > applies to South America and the southern far East as well. > > Ken > > > > Subject: [NYLEWIS] DNA testing > > >>I normally lurk on this list, but I wanted to share with listers this >>information that was sent to the Genealogy Bits and Pieces list by Sally >>Rolls Pavia, a frequent contributor to that list, especially in light of >>the ongoing discussion of the pros and cons of DNA testing. >> Sharon Howell >> >> DNA Kits: Secrets of Your Past or Scientific Scam? >> By Meredith F. Small, LiveScience's Human Nature Columnist >> Posted: 07 December 2007 08:05 am ET >> www.livescience.com/history/071207-hn-dna-kits.html >> >> One of the by-products of human consciousness is self-consciousness, that >> is >> knowing deeply that you are alive. >> >> Part of self-consciousness is also wondering where we came from; it's >> clearly human nature to seek one's roots. >> >> For some people, that task is relatively easy because there are oral >> legends >> or written words that go back at least several generations (assuming >> family >> history is passed down accurately). But for most people, the path >> backwards >> is rocky, cluttered with confusing detour signs, or simply blank. >> >> For Americans, citizens of the quintessential melting pot, the quest for >> identity often propels older people (it's interesting that we often >> search >> for our dead relatives while looking death square in the face) to the >> lists >> of immigrants into Ellis Island or other ports of entry into the United >> States and to the repository of genealogy in Salt Lake City. >> >> It also leads unwary seekers of the past right into the hands of scam >> artists who claim they can trace anyone's DNA back to its source. >> >> Anyone with a spare $100 to $900 can buy a "DNA ancestry kit." >> Self-collection of DNA requires only a quick swab of the inside of the >> mouth >> to gather cheek cells. Mail that smear back and the company will then >> compare your DNA to various other samples. >> >> But claims that this analysis will tell you much about where you came >> from >> are downright fraudulent, anthropologist Deborah Bolnick of the >> University >> of Texas at Austin and 14 co-authors recently reported. >> >> Instead of tracing our genetic past, what we get is a scientific scam. >> >> "It sure looks like science," says anthropologist Jonathan Marks of the >> University of North Carolina, Charlotte, one of the authors of the study. >> Well, it is science. It's done by scientists, and it's done on DNA >> samples. >> And it produces real data." >> >> But, Marks points out, these companies are preying on the public because >> they simply don't have enough comparative information to pinpoint a gene >> on >> a world map. They might match your DNA to some group on some continent, >> but >> what they don't tell you is that you would probably also match the group >> next door if only they had some of those samples as well. >> >> More insidious, these companies pretend to trace your unique ancestry >> through mitochondrial DNA, but that's simply not possible. A few hundred >> years, a few generations, and every person's history is a genetic >> mishmash. >> One little gene isn't going to inform anybody about anything. >> >> As Marks puts it, "That's the beauty of this scam. The companies aren't >> scamming you. They're not giving you fraudulent information. They are >> giving >> you data, real data, and allowing you to scam yourself." >> >> Humans have, in fact, turned the whole world into one large genetic >> melting >> pot. We have always been a species that crossed mountains, continents and >> oceans; we have always loved to mate outside our ancestral group. >> >> If you want to know who you are, look in the mirror. Written on your face >> is >> countless generations that have survived to reproduce, and the only thing >> you can realistically do at this point is thank them and then move >> forward. >> >> Meredith F. Small is an anthropologist at Cornell University. She is also >> the author of "Our Babies, Ourselves; How Biology and Culture Shape the >> Way >> We Parent" (link) and "The Culture of Our Discontent; Beyond the Medical >> Model of Mental Illness >> >> ------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >> [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the >> quotes in the subject and the body of the message >> > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message >

Nancy, that's a fancy response but some of us don't accept your ideas. What is the proof that they are fraudulent? Something is better than nothing. At least we do know that the origin of man came from Africa and over the millennia moved north for some reason that is unknown. That concept also applies to South America and the southern far East as well. Ken Subject: [NYLEWIS] DNA testing >I normally lurk on this list, but I wanted to share with listers this >information that was sent to the Genealogy Bits and Pieces list by Sally >Rolls Pavia, a frequent contributor to that list, especially in light of >the ongoing discussion of the pros and cons of DNA testing. > Sharon Howell > > DNA Kits: Secrets of Your Past or Scientific Scam? > By Meredith F. Small, LiveScience's Human Nature Columnist > Posted: 07 December 2007 08:05 am ET > www.livescience.com/history/071207-hn-dna-kits.html > > One of the by-products of human consciousness is self-consciousness, that > is > knowing deeply that you are alive. > > Part of self-consciousness is also wondering where we came from; it's > clearly human nature to seek one's roots. > > For some people, that task is relatively easy because there are oral > legends > or written words that go back at least several generations (assuming > family > history is passed down accurately). But for most people, the path > backwards > is rocky, cluttered with confusing detour signs, or simply blank. > > For Americans, citizens of the quintessential melting pot, the quest for > identity often propels older people (it's interesting that we often search > for our dead relatives while looking death square in the face) to the > lists > of immigrants into Ellis Island or other ports of entry into the United > States and to the repository of genealogy in Salt Lake City. > > It also leads unwary seekers of the past right into the hands of scam > artists who claim they can trace anyone's DNA back to its source. > > Anyone with a spare $100 to $900 can buy a "DNA ancestry kit." > Self-collection of DNA requires only a quick swab of the inside of the > mouth > to gather cheek cells. Mail that smear back and the company will then > compare your DNA to various other samples. > > But claims that this analysis will tell you much about where you came from > are downright fraudulent, anthropologist Deborah Bolnick of the University > of Texas at Austin and 14 co-authors recently reported. > > Instead of tracing our genetic past, what we get is a scientific scam. > > "It sure looks like science," says anthropologist Jonathan Marks of the > University of North Carolina, Charlotte, one of the authors of the study. > Well, it is science. It's done by scientists, and it's done on DNA > samples. > And it produces real data." > > But, Marks points out, these companies are preying on the public because > they simply don't have enough comparative information to pinpoint a gene > on > a world map. They might match your DNA to some group on some continent, > but > what they don't tell you is that you would probably also match the group > next door if only they had some of those samples as well. > > More insidious, these companies pretend to trace your unique ancestry > through mitochondrial DNA, but that's simply not possible. A few hundred > years, a few generations, and every person's history is a genetic > mishmash. > One little gene isn't going to inform anybody about anything. > > As Marks puts it, "That's the beauty of this scam. The companies aren't > scamming you. They're not giving you fraudulent information. They are > giving > you data, real data, and allowing you to scam yourself." > > Humans have, in fact, turned the whole world into one large genetic > melting > pot. We have always been a species that crossed mountains, continents and > oceans; we have always loved to mate outside our ancestral group. > > If you want to know who you are, look in the mirror. Written on your face > is > countless generations that have survived to reproduce, and the only thing > you can realistically do at this point is thank them and then move > forward. > > Meredith F. Small is an anthropologist at Cornell University. She is also > the author of "Our Babies, Ourselves; How Biology and Culture Shape the > Way > We Parent" (link) and "The Culture of Our Discontent; Beyond the Medical > Model of Mental Illness > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message >

Personally, I believe the human race originated in the Tigris-Euphrates area. I doubt, and it is my opinion, that current genealogists can hope to find ancestors beyond the 1500s at the most, with any degree of reliability. I have no interest in attempting to trace my ancestry to William the Conqueror, if that were possible, but have found most rewarding locating cousins, of varying degrees of relationship, with whom no contacts have existed for decades, if ever. OTOH I can easily understand the search for missing ancestors. Each to his own. GMF A Pearl is a Garment of Patience That Enclosed an Annoyance -- "Lois Everard" <[email protected]> wrote: Some people have said that prehistoric man originated in Africa and later migrated to Europe. Likewise researchers have found without adequate records came from South America. Ken in NJ _____________________________________________________________ Click to generate a targeted mailing list to grow your business. http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2121/fc/Ioyw6i3nM5CjlPhcAoEWlxSBeBIsT5SjVQOsskcPndEXn6v0ZCqwYL/

I normally lurk on this list, but I wanted to share with listers this information that was sent to the Genealogy Bits and Pieces list by Sally Rolls Pavia, a frequent contributor to that list, especially in light of the ongoing discussion of the pros and cons of DNA testing. Sharon Howell DNA Kits: Secrets of Your Past or Scientific Scam? By Meredith F. Small, LiveScience's Human Nature Columnist Posted: 07 December 2007 08:05 am ET www.livescience.com/history/071207-hn-dna-kits.html One of the by-products of human consciousness is self-consciousness, that is knowing deeply that you are alive. Part of self-consciousness is also wondering where we came from; it's clearly human nature to seek one's roots. For some people, that task is relatively easy because there are oral legends or written words that go back at least several generations (assuming family history is passed down accurately). But for most people, the path backwards is rocky, cluttered with confusing detour signs, or simply blank. For Americans, citizens of the quintessential melting pot, the quest for identity often propels older people (it's interesting that we often search for our dead relatives while looking death square in the face) to the lists of immigrants into Ellis Island or other ports of entry into the United States and to the repository of genealogy in Salt Lake City. It also leads unwary seekers of the past right into the hands of scam artists who claim they can trace anyone's DNA back to its source. Anyone with a spare $100 to $900 can buy a "DNA ancestry kit." Self-collection of DNA requires only a quick swab of the inside of the mouth to gather cheek cells. Mail that smear back and the company will then compare your DNA to various other samples. But claims that this analysis will tell you much about where you came from are downright fraudulent, anthropologist Deborah Bolnick of the University of Texas at Austin and 14 co-authors recently reported. Instead of tracing our genetic past, what we get is a scientific scam. "It sure looks like science," says anthropologist Jonathan Marks of the University of North Carolina, Charlotte, one of the authors of the study. Well, it is science. It's done by scientists, and it's done on DNA samples. And it produces real data." But, Marks points out, these companies are preying on the public because they simply don't have enough comparative information to pinpoint a gene on a world map. They might match your DNA to some group on some continent, but what they don't tell you is that you would probably also match the group next door if only they had some of those samples as well. More insidious, these companies pretend to trace your unique ancestry through mitochondrial DNA, but that's simply not possible. A few hundred years, a few generations, and every person's history is a genetic mishmash. One little gene isn't going to inform anybody about anything. As Marks puts it, "That's the beauty of this scam. The companies aren't scamming you. They're not giving you fraudulent information. They are giving you data, real data, and allowing you to scam yourself." Humans have, in fact, turned the whole world into one large genetic melting pot. We have always been a species that crossed mountains, continents and oceans; we have always loved to mate outside our ancestral group. If you want to know who you are, look in the mirror. Written on your face is countless generations that have survived to reproduce, and the only thing you can realistically do at this point is thank them and then move forward. Meredith F. Small is an anthropologist at Cornell University. She is also the author of "Our Babies, Ourselves; How Biology and Culture Shape the Way We Parent" (link) and "The Culture of Our Discontent; Beyond the Medical Model of Mental Illness

According to the Bible...actually most bibles..there's a passage that say's .the Garden of Eden was located between two great rivers...there are only two GREAT Rivers that come that close to the biblical scripture....the Tigres-Euphrates Rivers.....the Ancient Gardens of Babylon was suppose to have been thought of as the actual The Garden of Eden...Babylon is supposed to be the now present day Baghdad.... and anyone who thinks we as the human race are all descended from Africa has some serious issues..... Michael **************************************See AOL's top rated recipes (http://food.aol.com/top-rated-recipes?NCID=aoltop00030000000004)

Yes, but if you look at all the people you could be related to after 300 years or for that matter, 200 years, the results are just not too relevant. Dick **************************************See AOL's top rated recipes (http://food.aol.com/top-rated-recipes?NCID=aoltop00030000000004)

Response: The experts who have been working on gathering the DNA records of current humans have been able to trace some who go back to ancient times. Have you had yours done yet? If not, go to your computer and find a site; there are several of them. Good luck. Ken in NJ Subject: Re: [NYLEWIS] Recent Blogs at Upstate New York Genealogy Personally, I believe the human race originated in the Tigris-Euphrates area. I doubt, and it is my opinion, that current genealogists can hope to find ancestors beyond the 1500s at the most, with any degree of reliability. I have no interest in attempting to trace my ancestry to William the Conqueror, if that were possible, but have found most rewarding locating cousins, of varying degrees of relationship, with whom no contacts have existed for decades, if ever. OTOH I can easily understand the search for missing ancestors. Each to his own. > GMF > A Pearl is a Garment of > Patience That Enclosed > an Annoyance _____________________________________________________________ > Click to generate a targeted mailing list to grow your business. > http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2121/fc/Ioyw6i3nM5CjlPhcAoEWlxSBeBIsT5SjVQOsskcPndEXn6v0ZCqwYL/ > > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message > >

Some people have said that prehistoric man originated in Africa and later migrated to Europe. Likewise researchers have found without adequate records came from South America. Ken in NJ ----- Original Message ----- From: "GMF" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, December 29, 2007 8:46 PM Subject: Re: [NYLEWIS] Recent Blogs at Upstate New York Genealogy > "For what it is worth, science has now shown that all modern Europeans, > descend from one of seven original females, sort of prehistoric clan > mothers, and also that we ALL came from Africa originally." > > This is from Dick's blog. I know of no such scientific evidence. Does > anyone else? > > > GMF > A Pearl is a Garment of > Patience That Enclosed > an Annoyance > > > -- "Dick Hillenbrand" <[email protected]> wrote: > Recent Blog activity on our Upstate New York Genealogy website at > www.unyg.com has an easy to understand article about DNA testing for > genealogical purposes. There is also a Blog about Ephemera for genealogy, > _____________________________________________________________ > Orchard Bank MasterCard > Get your credit on track with an Orchard Bank MasterCard > http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2121/fc/JKFkuJi7ElGY73MisPwL7YEjUc06JSZChoUwOUCsL7ZvrL46xUlecT/ > > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message > >

"For what it is worth, science has now shown that all modern Europeans, descend from one of seven original females, sort of prehistoric clan mothers, and also that we ALL came from Africa originally." This is from Dick's blog. I know of no such scientific evidence. Does anyone else? GMF A Pearl is a Garment of Patience That Enclosed an Annoyance -- "Dick Hillenbrand" <[email protected]> wrote: Recent Blog activity on our Upstate New York Genealogy website at www.unyg.com has an easy to understand article about DNA testing for genealogical purposes. There is also a Blog about Ephemera for genealogy, _____________________________________________________________ Orchard Bank MasterCard Get your credit on track with an Orchard Bank MasterCard http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2121/fc/JKFkuJi7ElGY73MisPwL7YEjUc06JSZChoUwOUCsL7ZvrL46xUlecT/

To GMF: I got this from another list that I subscribe to: ----- Original Message ----- From: "Sally Pavia" <[email protected]> To: "Genealogy Bits and Pieces" <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, December 08, 2007 7:37 AM Subject: [NEWGEN] DNA Kits: Secrets of Your Past or Scientific Scam? [VERY INTERESTING ARTICLE .. Sally] DNA Kits: Secrets of Your Past or Scientific Scam? By Meredith F. Small, LiveScience's Human Nature Columnist Posted: 07 December 2007 08:05 am ET www.livescience.com/history/071207-hn-dna-kits.html One of the by-products of human consciousness is self-consciousness, that is knowing deeply that you are alive. Part of self-consciousness is also wondering where we came from; it's clearly human nature to seek one's roots. For some people, that task is relatively easy because there are oral legends or written words that go back at least several generations (assuming family history is passed down accurately). But for most people, the path backwards is rocky, cluttered with confusing detour signs, or simply blank. For Americans, citizens of the quintessential melting pot, the quest for identity often propels older people (it's interesting that we often search for our dead relatives while looking death square in the face) to the lists of immigrants into Ellis Island or other ports of entry into the United States and to the repository of genealogy in Salt Lake City. It also leads unwary seekers of the past right into the hands of scam artists who claim they can trace anyone's DNA back to its source. Anyone with a spare $100 to $900 can buy a "DNA ancestry kit." Self-collection of DNA requires only a quick swab of the inside of the mouth to gather cheek cells. Mail that smear back and the company will then compare your DNA to various other samples. But claims that this analysis will tell you much about where you came from are downright fraudulent, anthropologist Deborah Bolnick of the University of Texas at Austin and 14 co-authors recently reported. Instead of tracing our genetic past, what we get is a scientific scam. "It sure looks like science," says anthropologist Jonathan Marks of the University of North Carolina, Charlotte, one of the authors of the study. Well, it is science. It's done by scientists, and it's done on DNA samples. And it produces real data." But, Marks points out, these companies are preying on the public because they simply don't have enough comparative information to pinpoint a gene on a world map. They might match your DNA to some group on some continent, but what they don't tell you is that you would probably also match the group next door if only they had some of those samples as well. More insidious, these companies pretend to trace your unique ancestry through mitochondrial DNA, but that's simply not possible. A few hundred years, a few generations, and every person's history is a genetic mishmash. One little gene isn't going to inform anybody about anything. As Marks puts it, "That's the beauty of this scam. The companies aren't scamming you. They're not giving you fraudulent information. They are giving you data, real data, and allowing you to scam yourself." Humans have, in fact, turned the whole world into one large genetic melting pot. We have always been a species that crossed mountains, continents and oceans; we have always loved to mate outside our ancestral group. If you want to know who you are, look in the mirror. Written on your face is countless generations that have survived to reproduce, and the only thing you can realistically do at this point is thank them and then move forward. Meredith F. Small is an anthropologist at Cornell University. She is also the author of "Our Babies, Ourselves; How Biology and Culture Shape the Way We Parent" (link) and "The Culture of Our Discontent; Beyond the Medical Model of Mental Illness ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

This is from another list that I subscribe to. Sharon ----- Original Message ----- From: "Sally Pavia" <[email protected]> To: "Genealogy Bits and Pieces" <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, December 08, 2007 7:37 AM Subject: [NEWGEN] DNA Kits: Secrets of Your Past or Scientific Scam? [VERY INTERESTING ARTICLE .. Sally] DNA Kits: Secrets of Your Past or Scientific Scam? By Meredith F. Small, LiveScience's Human Nature Columnist Posted: 07 December 2007 08:05 am ET www.livescience.com/history/071207-hn-dna-kits.html One of the by-products of human consciousness is self-consciousness, that is knowing deeply that you are alive. Part of self-consciousness is also wondering where we came from; it's clearly human nature to seek one's roots. For some people, that task is relatively easy because there are oral legends or written words that go back at least several generations (assuming family history is passed down accurately). But for most people, the path backwards is rocky, cluttered with confusing detour signs, or simply blank. For Americans, citizens of the quintessential melting pot, the quest for identity often propels older people (it's interesting that we often search for our dead relatives while looking death square in the face) to the lists of immigrants into Ellis Island or other ports of entry into the United States and to the repository of genealogy in Salt Lake City. It also leads unwary seekers of the past right into the hands of scam artists who claim they can trace anyone's DNA back to its source. Anyone with a spare $100 to $900 can buy a "DNA ancestry kit." Self-collection of DNA requires only a quick swab of the inside of the mouth to gather cheek cells. Mail that smear back and the company will then compare your DNA to various other samples. But claims that this analysis will tell you much about where you came from are downright fraudulent, anthropologist Deborah Bolnick of the University of Texas at Austin and 14 co-authors recently reported. Instead of tracing our genetic past, what we get is a scientific scam. "It sure looks like science," says anthropologist Jonathan Marks of the University of North Carolina, Charlotte, one of the authors of the study. Well, it is science. It's done by scientists, and it's done on DNA samples. And it produces real data." But, Marks points out, these companies are preying on the public because they simply don't have enough comparative information to pinpoint a gene on a world map. They might match your DNA to some group on some continent, but what they don't tell you is that you would probably also match the group next door if only they had some of those samples as well. More insidious, these companies pretend to trace your unique ancestry through mitochondrial DNA, but that's simply not possible. A few hundred years, a few generations, and every person's history is a genetic mishmash. One little gene isn't going to inform anybody about anything. As Marks puts it, "That's the beauty of this scam. The companies aren't scamming you. They're not giving you fraudulent information. They are giving you data, real data, and allowing you to scam yourself." Humans have, in fact, turned the whole world into one large genetic melting pot. We have always been a species that crossed mountains, continents and oceans; we have always loved to mate outside our ancestral group. If you want to know who you are, look in the mirror. Written on your face is countless generations that have survived to reproduce, and the only thing you can realistically do at this point is thank them and then move forward. Meredith F. Small is an anthropologist at Cornell University. She is also the author of "Our Babies, Ourselves; How Biology and Culture Shape the Way We Parent" (link) and "The Culture of Our Discontent; Beyond the Medical Model of Mental Illness ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Recent Blog activity on our Upstate New York Genealogy website at www.unyg.com has an easy to understand article about DNA testing for genealogical purposes. There is also a Blog about Ephemera for genealogy, and a full description about how to take advantage of all of the features of unyg.com. Tomorrow we will have a year's end review and predictions for 2008. Happy New Year to all of our readers, Dick Hillenbrand. Upstate New York Genealogy www.unyg.com