List members living within easy travelling distance to Wrexham may be
interested in the following event which is to be held on Monday 24th March as
part of Wrexham Science Festival:
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SURNAMES, GENES AND POPULATIONS
The distribution pattern of surnames in a population can give an insight into
social structure, settlement history and genetic relationships within and
between communities. The research method which enables this to be done is
called isonymy, and is based on a genetic model that treats surnames as if
they were genes. Examples from England and Ireland show that the method can
reveal the effects of occupation, religion, migration and geography on
surname patterns.
The assumption that surnames can be treated as genes is not always precise,
but recent work on the pattern of Y chromosomal DNA markers among different
surnames shows the analogy to be surprisingly robust. Dr Malcolm Smith, from
the Department of Anthropology at Durham University, will explore this
intriguing topic and explain how DNA studies are increasingly employed in
family history to explore the relationship between people sharing the same
surname.
Venue: NEWI B23
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More details about the festival can be found on its website:
http://www.wrexhamsf.com/
all the best
Alwyn