DNA helping to untangle roots of family trees Tuesday, February 08, 2005 By Bob Batz Jr., Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Genealogist and writer Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak says you don't have to be a science whiz to understand DNA and how it can help in researching family trees. 'Real World DNA Testing' Featuring: Megan Smolenyak, presented by the Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Association. When: 10 a.m. Saturday. Where: Carnegie Library Lecture Hall, 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland. Tickets:Free (parking $5). Information: 412-687-6811 or www.wpgs.org. Say you get to visit the old country to explore your ancestry. You might think to take something to give your relatives. But would it be a DNA test? Genealogy, it is a-changing. Research is going genetic. "Genetealogy" is what genealogist and writer Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak calls it. That's her real name, as she is by birth and by marriage Smolenyak, a surname that hails from the town of Osturna in Slovakia. She had identified four lines of Smolenyaks and traced them back to the 1700s but couldn't find a connection among them. When DNA testing became available to the public in 2000, she used it to determine that none matched and, further, that one line was actually Vanecko. On a subsequent trip, she and her husband furthered their quest by arriving in the village with 20 test kits and swabbing samples from men with 20 different surnames. They invited some to meet in the local krcma, or tavern. That's one of the sleuthing tips she'll share Saturday when she speaks for the Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society. Smolenyak, who lives in southern New Jersey near Philadelphia, was lead researcher for PBS's "Ancestors" series and "They Came to America" show. Her talk, which is free and open to the public, is based on the new book "Trace Your Roots With DNA" (Rodale, Oct. 2004, $14.95) that she wrote with Ann Turner. The book is a primer on this new and burgeoning field, sometimes called "molecular genealogy." It can sound complicated, but Smolenyak says you don't have to be a science whiz "to grasp this stuff and to use it to poke into your past." As anyone who's watched any of the "CSI" shows knows by now, DNA is the genetic blueprint of living things. We humans share 99.9 percent, but the other .1 percent is what differentiates us as individuals and, by extension, as families. Also just like on "CSI," you can collect a DNA sample by wiping a cotton swab inside your mouth. Several companies have sprung up that supply the kits, which you mail back so they can process the results. Cost runs about $150 for the most commonly used test of Y chromosome DNA. That's the DNA that is passed only from father to son. So it's useful for determining whether people with the same surname have a common ancestor. Many people have started "surname projects" that invite those with the same last name to submit their DNA results and play what Smolenyak calls "the match-making game." If you find someone who shares an ancestor, you can compare notes and possibly learn more about your roots. You also don't have to waste time checking out people who aren't related. Another kind of DNA, mitochondrial DNA, is only passed on by mothers but is received by female and male offspring. It's less used for tracing one's family tree, but it lasts longer and can be extracted from remains. That's the kind of DNA that Smolenyak has used in her work with the U.S. Army to identify soldiers killed in Korea. As genetic databases grow, companies also can interpret DNA to give you a better idea of your geographic and ethnic origins. More and more databases (detailed in the book) are accessible to the public. One of the most interesting projects is that of the Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation in Utah, which aims to build the world's largest correlated genetic and genealogical database to scientifically demonstrate how all humans are related. Individuals who can chronicle at least four generations of ancestry can get a free collection kit -- this one uses a mouth wash -- and submit their DNA to help the bigger effort. They can also query parts of the database. The project's billionaire funder, James LeVoy Sorenson, believes "that if people know how closely related we are, we will treat each other better." Both the nonprofit foundation and for-profit companies post privacy policies. Smolenyak stresses that the DNA information used for genealogy is not the same kind that reveals genetic diseases, so participants need not worry about "giving away secrets" that could cause them, say, to be denied health insurance. All the ethical issues haven't been sorted out, but, she says, "This is all new stuff," audibly excited as she tries to imagine the positive possibilities ahead. Western Pennsylvania Genealogy Society program chair Marilyn Holt says, "This is completely new to everyone in genealogy," where there's more interest in the "physicality" of family trees, such as what diseases ancestors had. She's expecting a big turnout for the talk on this new tool. "I think that this will be a revelation." For more information, Smolenyak's Web sites are www.genetealogy.com and www.honoringourancestors.com. The Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation's site is www.smgf.org. Visit the Western Pennsylvania Genealogy Society at www.wpgs.org. (Bob Batz Jr. can be reached at bbatz@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1930.)