You can find links to articles about the DNA research at
http://www.allredfamily.org/new_page_14.htm
----- Original Message -----
From: "unicorn" <unicorn(a)ezworks.net>
To: <INKOSCIU-L(a)rootsweb.com>
Sent: Thursday, April 19, 2001 6:35 AM
Subject: [INKOSCIU] Molecular Genealogy
Received this from another list in DE and thought it would be of
interest
to other lists.
Shirl
Hello, all.
Just a reminder of the date for Brigham Young University's upcoming
DNA
sample collection nearest to the Delaware area, for those of you
wishing
to
participate. BYU staff will be taking samples in Philadelphia on
Saturday,
April 28th.
For those wanting more information, please visit the website listed in
the
article below.
(Sorry, I don't have an article from the Philadelphia or Delaware
area.
The article below is from January and from our local paper here in
St.
Petersburg, FL). The BYU folks were here back in February, whereupon
myself and another list cousin donated our DNA.
Thanks,
John
P.S. Do not send e-mail to the Joel Myres mentioned in the article
below.
The website mentions that he passed away in March. If you are interested
in contacting the staff, please use the "Contact Us" link on their
website.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Genetics study open to genealogy buffs
By DONNA MURRAY ALLEN
? St. Petersburg Times, published January 13, 2001
If you have free time, spare blood and a four-generation pedigree chart,
Ugo Perego wants to meet you. A Brigham Young University student, Perego
has the job of helping microbiology professor Scott Woodward find 100,000
participants for a three-year study that merges genetics with genealogy.
Woodward, the researcher who discovered a genetic marker that led to the
discovery of the gene for cystic fibrosis, heads up BYU's Molecular
Genealogy Research Group. Just as it was possible to genetically link
Thomas Jefferson to Sally Hemmings' last child, DNA can be used to relate
individuals to their immediate families, ancestors, tribal groups and even
entire populations. The MGRG plans to use markers to reconstruct worldwide
family trees.
The BYU group comes to Florida in February. Project representatives will
be
on hand to provide an overview, answer questions and collect samples
at
Mormon Family History Centers in Largo, Port Charlotte and Sarasota. In
Largo, the event takes place at 9 a.m. on Feb. 10. Contact Charles
Grandmaison at chasgene(a)aol.com for details. For more calendar
information,
contact your local FHC or log on to
<
http://molecular-genealogy.byu.edu>.
You must be 18 to participate.
Woodward launched the study last March. He wants to compile a database of
100,000 blood samples from at least 500 worldwide populations in the next
three to five years. Each sample will be correlated with a four-generation
family history that includes the date and place of birth for each
ancestor.
The results will be computerized.
"One hundred thousand samples will provide us with an understanding of the
genetic make-up of the world," Prego said in a phone interview from his
Brigham Young office in Provo, Utah. "We'll also know what markers from
specific areas of the world look like. In the future, individuals will
benefit from this database to trace their ancestors, because they will be
able to compare their DNA to those in the database. Since each individual
carries within them a unique record of who they are and how they are
related to everyone else, it will be possible to overcome such
genealogical
obstacles as illegitimacy, adoption and missing records to prove his
or
her
lineage. For American Indians and African-Americans, among others,
such
data would be invaluable." As the database grows, more genealogical
mysteries will be solved.
The MGRG is retracing the movement of genes in time and space, Perego
said.
This data will help confirm migration patterns. For centuries, people
who
shared similar DNA tended to remain in a small geographical area. Times
have changed. Perego used some of my ancestors as an example. As far back
as 1800, some of my kin lived in what is now known as Slovakia. Thus, the
DNA of my early Slovak relatives is the same DNA strain found in 1890 in
Pennsylvania where my great-grandfather settled. Now it can be found in
Florida -- in me. In other words, that original Slovak DNA could be found
just about anywhere these days.
But the study isn't getting quite that personal yet. To protect the
privacy
of those participating in the study, names won't be released or
kept in
the
database. DNA samples are assigned identification numbers when the
data is
collected to ensure confidentiality. Anyone interested in participating in
the study to solve a personal genealogical situation must submit a special
release form. E-mail Joel Myres at joel_myres(a)byu.edu to obtain a copy of
that form.
Why is BYU sponsoring this project? "Every Latter-Day Saint (Mormon) is
required to compile a four-generation pedigree chart," Perego said.
"Genealogy is very important in order to understand who we are and how we
are related to others. We treat our kin differently than we treat anyone
else."
* * *
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