Chuck Bao
2/21/2006, 11:14 AM
I got an email yesterday from Family Tree DNA saying that “when comparing the Hyper Variable Region 1 of your mitochondrial DNA, a match has been found between you and another person(s) in the Family Tree DNA database.”
First of all, I had no idea that I was looking for a DNA match. But, I gotta say that if there is someone out there that shares my DNA, can that be all bad?
Some of you may recall that I gave my grandmother a DNA test for her birthday two years ago. She had always wanted proof of Native American ancestry. The results didn’t prove anything like that or it was too complicated for me to figure out. So, I dropped it until yesterday.
I know full well that it may be like a dating service or Classmates that keep sending new information to keep us clicking on the site and paying more for additional information.
Still, I clicked on the link and found the “matches.” Nope, I don’t recognize any of their names.
It’s odd that they provided email addresses. The one that goes by txhunter does sound like a few of my cousins. But, get real. Like, I’m not emailing someone and saying: “hey, let’s meet, we share similar DNA.” Hillbillies have a bad enough rap on incest as it is.
So, I read more on the website, which seems much clearer than before.
The thing that gets me is this: “The mitochondrial haplogroup T is best characterized as a European lineage. With an origin in the Near East greater than 45,000 years ago, the major sub-lineages of haplogroup T entered Europe around the time of the Neolithic 10,000 years ago. Once in Europe, these sub-lineages underwent a dramatic expansion associated with the arrival of agriculture in Europe. Individuals bearing the haplogroup T5 lineage likely participated in the Neolithic expansion.”
So, I share my DNA with about a billion other people considered European. <sarcasm> Way big surprise there. </sarcasm>
More reading and I’m like this is so not useful: “An exact match on Hyper Variable Region 1 means you share a common female ancestor, although only 50% of the time this common ancestor lived 52 generations or less.”
A 50% chance of cousins 52 times removed?
Then, there is this gem: “Matches of the mtDNA have more Anthropological significance as the time frame for a common ancestor could go beyond the Genealogical time frame.”
Actually, that was much more of the original intent. Does Granny have Indian blood?
So, maybe I should email these people and ask if they think their similar gene mutations were from mixed marriages with Native Americans.
What do you think?
By the way, I did pay them $15 to have Granny’s DNA sent to a Discovery Channel project.
I love the Discovery Channel.
Anyone think that like sharing family DNA sequences on the internet would be like invasion of privacy?
If your brother or sister allowed your family DNA sequences to be posted on the internet, would you mind?
First of all, I had no idea that I was looking for a DNA match. But, I gotta say that if there is someone out there that shares my DNA, can that be all bad?
Some of you may recall that I gave my grandmother a DNA test for her birthday two years ago. She had always wanted proof of Native American ancestry. The results didn’t prove anything like that or it was too complicated for me to figure out. So, I dropped it until yesterday.
I know full well that it may be like a dating service or Classmates that keep sending new information to keep us clicking on the site and paying more for additional information.
Still, I clicked on the link and found the “matches.” Nope, I don’t recognize any of their names.
It’s odd that they provided email addresses. The one that goes by txhunter does sound like a few of my cousins. But, get real. Like, I’m not emailing someone and saying: “hey, let’s meet, we share similar DNA.” Hillbillies have a bad enough rap on incest as it is.
So, I read more on the website, which seems much clearer than before.
The thing that gets me is this: “The mitochondrial haplogroup T is best characterized as a European lineage. With an origin in the Near East greater than 45,000 years ago, the major sub-lineages of haplogroup T entered Europe around the time of the Neolithic 10,000 years ago. Once in Europe, these sub-lineages underwent a dramatic expansion associated with the arrival of agriculture in Europe. Individuals bearing the haplogroup T5 lineage likely participated in the Neolithic expansion.”
So, I share my DNA with about a billion other people considered European. <sarcasm> Way big surprise there. </sarcasm>
More reading and I’m like this is so not useful: “An exact match on Hyper Variable Region 1 means you share a common female ancestor, although only 50% of the time this common ancestor lived 52 generations or less.”
A 50% chance of cousins 52 times removed?
Then, there is this gem: “Matches of the mtDNA have more Anthropological significance as the time frame for a common ancestor could go beyond the Genealogical time frame.”
Actually, that was much more of the original intent. Does Granny have Indian blood?
So, maybe I should email these people and ask if they think their similar gene mutations were from mixed marriages with Native Americans.
What do you think?
By the way, I did pay them $15 to have Granny’s DNA sent to a Discovery Channel project.
I love the Discovery Channel.
Anyone think that like sharing family DNA sequences on the internet would be like invasion of privacy?
If your brother or sister allowed your family DNA sequences to be posted on the internet, would you mind?