Improved Ancient DNA Extraction Methods May Lead to Greater Yeild

Journal of Archaeological Science doi:10.1016/j.jas.2010.11.010

Survival and recovery of DNA from ancient teeth and bones

C.J Adler et al.

The recovery of genetic material from preserved hard skeletal remains is an essential part of ancient DNA, archaeological and forensic research. However, there is little understanding about the relative concentrations of DNA within different tissues, the impact of sampling methods on extracted DNA, or the role of environmentally-determined degradation rates on DNA survival in specimens. We examine these issues by characterizing the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) content of different hard and soft tissues in 42 ancient human and bovid specimens at a range of fragment lengths (77–235 bp) using real-time PCR. Remarkably, the standard drill speeds used to sample skeletal material (c. 1000 RPM) were found to decrease mtDNA yields up to 30 times (by 3.1 × 10⁵ mtDNA copies on average) compared to pulverization in a bone mill. This dramatic negative impact appears to relate to heat damage, and disappeared at very low drill speeds (e.g. 100 RPM). Consequently, many ancient DNA and forensic studies may have obtained false negative results, especially from important specimens which are commonly sampled with drills to minimize signs of damage. The mtDNA content of tooth cementum was found to be five times higher than the commonly used dentine (141 bp, p = 0.01), making the cementum-rich root tip the best sample for ancient human material. Lastly, mtDNA was found to display a consistent pattern of exponential fragmentation across many depositional environments, with different rates for geographic areas and tissue types, improving the ability to predict and understand DNA survival in preserved specimens.

Link:

http://dienekes.blogspot.com/2010/12/survival-of-ancient-dna-from-teeth-and.html


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Revealing American Indian and Minority Heritage by DNA Testing and Traditional Genealogy

 It is an honor to announce the publication at JOGG by Roberta Estes, Administrator of the Lost Colony of Roanoke and the Cumberland Gap DNA Projects along with co-administrator of the Melungeon DNA Project, Hatteras Island, Carolina Native Heritage and several other DNA projects. This is a peer reviewed article which has passed scrutiny by a panel of highly respected DNA experts. This paper is a must read by genealogists who are using any of the various types of DNA testing available.  -  History Chasers

Roberta Estes's new academic paper has been published as of Sunday. It's free in the Journal of Genetic Genealogy sponsored by ISOGG.

The paper, titled "Revealing American Indian and Minority Heritage using Y-line, Mitochondrial, Autosomal and X Chromosomal Testing Data Combined with Pedigree Analysis" is at the link below:

http://www.jogg.info/62/files/Estes.pdf 

The index of the entire journal is available at this link:

http://www.jogg.info/62/index.html

It is a long process to publish a paper at JOGG. Roberta was invited to write this article in March of 2009 and it was submitted a year ago with final revisions in July.

It will also be on her website shortly as well at www.dnaexplain.com under the Publications tab. Lots of free goodies there too.

Abstract:

As a project administrator of several historically based genetic genealogy projects, such as the Lost Colony, Cumberland Gap, Melungeon, Carolina Native Heritage and Hatteras Island projects which involve thousands of participants, I routinely receive questions from individuals who have an oral history of Native American heritage and would like to use genetic genealogical tools to prove, or disprove, their oral history.  This paper documents the various discovery steps and processes using different types of DNA testing for a typical individual participant and appropriate family members whocarry an oral Native history combined with genealogical evidence that has been forthcoming during the elapsed years since genetic testing for genealogy first because available.  Each test along with associated benefits and detriments are discussed in relation to the analysis of minority ancestry.  The conclusion combines the information from all the various tests, pedigree analysis and genealogical evidence, discussing which tests are beneficial and most accurate, and which ones are not useful, and why.

    

This blog is © History Chasers
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Lively Session in Geographic DNA Projects led by Roberta Estes at DNA Conference

 Roberta Estes,  Lost Colony of Roanoke and Cumberland Gap Administrator, demonstrates a "hands on" approach as she leads the session on Geographic DNA Projects during the break out session where attendees could select a session in their own interest.

This blog is © History Chasers
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Where Have all the Indians Gone?

by Janet Crain

There was some misunderstanding when this paper first appeared that the author was saying some of the groups studied such as the Melungeons had no Indian ancestry. That was not the intent. If the entire JoGG paper is read it will become clear that this is a very serious, perhaps the first in some aspects, effort to explain why we are not seeing the Native American genetic testing results we would expect.

Where Have All the Indians Gone? Native American Eastern Seaboard Dispersal, Genealogy and DNA in Relation to Sir Walter Raleigh’s Lost Colony of Roanoke.

Roberta Estes

Abstract

Within genealogy circles, family stories of Native American¹ heritage exist in many families whose American ancestry is rooted in Colonial America and traverses Appalachia. The task of finding these ancestors either genealogically or using genetic genealogy is challenging.

With the advent of DNA testing, surname and other special interest projects², tools now exist to facilitate grouping participants in a way that allows one to view populations in historical fashions. This paper references and uses data from several of these public projects, but particularly the Melungeon, Lumbee, Waccamaw, North Carolina Roots and Lost Colony projects³.

The Lumbee have long claimed descent from the Lost Colony via their oral history⁴. The Lumbee DNA Project shows significantly less Native American ancestry than would be expected with 96% European or African Y chromosomal DNA. The Melungeons, long held to be mixed European, African and Native show only one ancestral family with Native DNA⁵. Clearly more testing would be advantageous in all of these projects.

This phenomenon is not limited to these groups, and has been reported by other researchers such as Bolnick (et al, 2006) where she reports finding in 16 Native American populations with northeast or southeast roots that 47% of the families who believe themselves to be full blooded or no less than 75% Native with no paternal European admixture find themselves carrying European or African y-line DNA. Malhi (et al, 2008) reported that in 26 Native American populations non-Native American Y chromosomal DNA frequency as high as 88% is found in the Canadian northeast, southwest of Hudson Bay. Malhi’s conclusions suggest that perhaps there was early¹ introduction of European DNA in that population.

The significantly higher non-Native DNA frequency found among present day Lumbee descendants may be due in part to the unique history of the Eastern seaboard Indian tribes of that area or to the admixture of European DNA by the assimilation of the Lost Colony of Roanoke after 1587, or both.

European contact may have begun significantly before the traditionally held dates of 1492 with Columbus’ discovery of America or 1587 with the Lost Colony of Roanoke which is generally and inaccurately viewed as the first European settlement attempt. Several documented earlier contacts exist and others were speculated, but the degree of contact and infusion of DNA into the Native population is unknown.

Wave after wave of disease introduced by European and African contact and warfare decimated the entire tribal population. Warfare took comparatively more male than female lives, encouraging the adoption of non-Indian males into the tribes as members or guests. An extensive English trader network combined with traditional Native American social practices that encouraged sexual activity with visitors was another avenue for European DNA to become infused into Eastern seaboard tribes.

1 Native, Native American, American Indian and Indian are used interchangeably to indicate the original inhabitants of North American before the European colonists arrived.

2 Available through Family Tree DNA, www.familytreedna.com

3 See Acknowledgement section for web addresses of the various projects. Note that participants join these projects voluntarily and are not recruited for specific traits as in other types of scientific studies. Some projects, such as the Lost Colony projects, screen applicants for appropriateness prior to joining. For the join criteria, please see the FAQ at http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~molcgdrg/faqs/faq3.htm.

4 The oral history exists tribe-wide, but specifically involves Virginia Dare and the colonists Henry and Richard Berry. Genealogies are relatively specific about the line of descent.

5 The Melungeon DNA project, while initially included in this research, was subsequently removed from the report because of the lack of Native American ancestry and no direct connection to the Lost Colonists. The Lumbee may be connected to the Melungeons, but that remains unproven.

Eastern Seaboard Native Americans

The genealogies of many families contain oral histories of Native ancestors. With the advent of genealogical DNA testing, confirmation of those long-held and cherished family stories about Native American ancestors can now be confirmed or denied, assuming one can find the right cousin and persuade them to test. Many surprises await DNA participants, and not always positive surprises if the search is for Native American ancestors. Those who are supposed to be, aren’t, and occasionally a surprise Native American ancestor appears via the announcement of their haplogroup.

What DNA testing offers to the genealogist, it also offers to the historian. With the advent of projects other than surname projects, meaning both geographically based projects and haplogroup projects, historians are offered a new way to look at and compare data.

Excellent examples of this type of project are the Lumbee, East Carolina Roots, Melungeon and Waccamaw projects.

A similar project of significantly wider scope is the 1587 Lost Colony of Roanoke DNA project. When the author founded the project in early 2007, it was thought that the answer would be discovered relatively quickly and painlessly, meaning that significant cooperation and genealogical research from local families would occur and that the surnames and families in England would be relatively easy to track. Nothing could be further from the truth. The paucity of early records in the VA/NC border region combined with English records that are difficult to search, especially from a distance, are located in many various locations and are often written in Latin has proven to be very challenging. The Lost Colony project has transformed itself into a quest to solve a nearly 425 year old mystery, the oldest “cold case” in America. However, this is not the first attempt. Historical icons David Beers Quinn (1909-2002) and William S. Powell devoted their careers to the unending search for the colonists, both here in the US in terms of their survival and in Great Britain in terms of their original identities. However, neither of those men had the benefit of DNA as a tool and we are building upon their work, and others.

One cannot study the Lost Colonists, referred to here as colonists, without studying the history of the eastern North Carolina area in general including early records, the British records and critically, the history of the Native people of the Outer Banks area of North Carolina. A broad research area in the early years (pre-1700 to as late as 1750), would be defined as coastal North Carolina and Virginia and into South Carolina in the later years (1712 to about 1800). Initially both Carolinas were in fact Virginia, North Carolina being formed in 1663 as Carolina. When South Carolina split off in 1712, the States of both North and South Carolina were created from the original Carolina.

Copyright 2009, all rights reserved, accepted for publication at JoGG

Roberta@dnaexplain.com or robertajestes@att.net

Figure 5: http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Image:Algonquian-langs.png

Read the entire paper here:

http://www.jogg.info/52/index.html

There are 4 supplementary files with a lot of good data in there as well.

This blog is © History Chasers

Click here to view all recent Searching for the Lost Colony DNA Blog posts

Anita Wills Talks Genealogy - Podcast

Host Anita Wills talks Genealogy and answers questions from callers. Tips on genealogy and how to successfully research and document your roots. Excerpts from books, Pieces of the Quilt: The Mosaic of An African American Family, and Notes And Documents of Free Persons of Color.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Anita-Wills


© History Chasers

Click here to view all recent Searching for the Lost Colony DNA Blog posts

Finding One's Roots

Lesley Stahl reports on the new field of genetic genealogy, which uses DNA to trace ancestry back hundreds of years. (This story was first broadcast on Oct. 7, 2007, rebroadcast June 29, 2008.) You can view it here:

http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?id=3340379n

Genealogy by DNA: Can it Deliver?

by Janet Crain

This article is not intended to criticize the geneticists involved in this new science. Henry Greely, a professor of law who specializes in genetics and ethics at Stanford University in California says;"I know these scientists, and they are honorable people, and the reports they give don't overpromise". Some firms require clients to sign psychological releases absolving companies from responsibility if results don't jibe with client expectations.

However; Bruce Jackson, a molecular geneticist at Boston University, who has launched the African-American DNA Roots Project, along with biologist Bert Ely of the University of South Carolina, cautions that "like anything on the Internet, this is all a case of 'caveat emptor' - let the buyer beware. But the science is valid. There's no doubt about the science." He sees DNA as "the hottest new tool" in genealogy, which is why Web sites on the subject run second only in hits to pornography pages. With those kind of statistics, it is easy to see that this "hot new tool' is going to be marketed and hyped to the hilt.

Unfortunately, sometimes the hype exceeds the actual benefit that can reasonably be expected to accrue. Minorities, in particular, are targeted. Because most black African Americans do not know what part of Africa their ancestors came from, or what tribe, they are immensely interested to find out anything that will give them a connection to their mother country. So is learning that you have a genetic marker that is shared by a widespread group of people in Africa worth $349.? That would, of course, depend on your curiosity and finances. Is the hype promising a greater benefit than can be delivered?

Some bio-ethicists say the sales pitch raises unreasonable expectations. "DNA is going to be very important and it’s on the cutting edge,” said professional genealogist Tony Burroughs, who teaches at Chicago State University. “But it’s not a panacea. You’re not going to discover your entire family tree from a little spit on a cotton swab.”Burroughs, author of “Black Roots: A Beginners Guide to Tracing the African American Family Tree” argues that DNA can’t replace old-fashioned reporting work.But rather, he feels genealogical breakthroughs will come from uncovering previously forgotten written records. He’s after names, addresses and other hard facts.

Another group that is often targeted by testing companies is Native American Indians. There are many people in the Americas who descend from the Native American Indigenous peoples of these continents. Some know it, some suspect it, some have no idea. The suppression of knowledge about Native American bloodlines was a direct effect of government policies since Europeans first set foot on North and South American. It is now believed that, the diseases, unwittingly carried by the Europeans, wiped out about 75-95% of the original population. The remaining population was systematically cheated and dispossessed, until only remnant bands remained and these were herded onto reservations or relocated to distant lands. The so called Trail of Tears separated many families. Other similar sad events had the same consequences. Many Native Americans assimilated and intermarried with whites. Traders and early day hunters were eager to take Indian wives to gain access to rich hunting grounds. The descendants of these dispossessed people often had no way to unravel their true genetic heritage. In the late 19th century, it wasn't a popular thing for parents to pass on to children. Some had a vague idea or heard rumors, but there was nothing substantial to go on.

Now there is. For as little as $99.00, a male in a surname group can learn if his Y chromosome paternal line is Native American. Similarly, a woman or a man could take the mtDNA test (group priced at $129. or as low as $89. for existing Family Tree DNA customers), and learn if their straight-line maternal line is Native American. Several different testing companies offer reductions in price to participants in surname groups of at least six. The problem with both Y and mtDNA testing is that due to racial mixing, a person's paternal line; father's father's father's, etc. may lead back to a European man and the maternal line; mother's mother's mother's may lead back to a European woman. This can hold true in some cases for a person who looks entirely Native American. One Native American man from Canada discovered that not only is he descended from an Englishman on the Y chromosome, but he is eligible for some hereditary position in England. Other than finding out you are really an English Earl with a castle in England (and a substantial inheritance), this type of result would disappoint many.

One of the better known media hyped DNA tests was that of the Melungeons, a dark skinned group of unknown origin living in Tennessee in the early 1800's. These DNA tests were started about 2000, as a volunteer effort; there was no cost to the participants except unfulfilled expectations, frustration and time lost. After many promises of the results being announced, there was finally an announcement, of sorts, on June 23, 2002. Were the expectations met? Without pointing a finger of blame at any one person, I would have to say; "No". For several reasons. The announcement only included preliminary results and comments. No actual DNA raw data was ever presented to participants or anyone else. No known peer review was ever conducted. No questions were answered conclusively. It was called a "Population" test, but only had around 100 participants. Its purported purpose was to capture a view of the Y chromosome and mtDNA haplogroups carried by these few self identified Melungeon descendants that came down to them from their Melungeon foreparents. Even though several generations had passed and their ancestry now had the input of many other ancestors, this was supposed to offer some information. Yet to this day, the "results" of this test are quoted as if they are valid.

Regrettably this lucrative new field has attracted some so called "experts" whose only talents consist of cutting and pasting together impressive looking reports. In my opinion, their professional background should be investigated thoroughly before investing in their interpretation of your DNA data. Many good people are involved in the new science of Genealogy by DNA. Quite a few are donating their time and expertise. It would certainly be to the DNA test subject's advantage to join a list of persons researching this area and learn all you can before spending your hard earned money on consultations with "Internet" experts. Once you are better informed you can make better decisions as to how the allocate the funds, if any, you decide to budget for this expenditure.

The latest player among DNA tests is the autosomal test. This type of test, tests the DNA inherited from both parents and shuffled during transmission. It was thought that certain genes would be informative to determine ethnic percentages. These tests were highly touted for this ability, but soon found lacking. What the DNAPrint test can do is predict majority ethnicity. And that is very important for forensic purposes. When the FBI profiled a serial killer in Louisiana as a white loner type, the DNAPrint test revealed him to be predominantly black. This new information led to his arrest and possibly saved lives of future victims.

However the hype surrounding this test, claiming to be able to detect as little as 3% of an ethnicity has led many people to believe, erroneously, that they have an ancestor of a previously unsuspected ethnicity when, in actuality, they do not. Experts say the test is only accurate to + or - 15%.

Recently a utility named OmniPop became the cause celebre among some DIY geneticists. But the creator, Brian Burritt, has stated he never intended this utility to be used for this purpose. And it would be very misleading if used in this manner. In addition, Family Tree DNA has issued a statement cautioning against reliance on this utility. An excellent service now available is http://www.dnaexplain.com/.

So, in conclusion the answer to "Can Genealogy by DNA Deliver?" is a qualified "Yes". Just be sure you have a clearly defined objective; more than one objective is fine. Do your homework and learn the limitations of Genealogy research utilizing DNA testing. And be sure you are using the right test to answer your questions. Don't be embarrassed to ask questions of those more knowledgeable than yourself. Most of us knew little to nothing about this new Genealogy tool when we first became interested. The technology is very new. It is changing at a dizzying speed. It is cutting edge. It can be tedious waiting for results. It can be disappointing when the results are not to your expectations. But the rewards are many and very exiting for those who understand these obstacles. And you will surely have something to talk about at your next Family Reunion.

More here:

http://www.genpage.com/genealogyDNA.html

10 Days Only Sizzling Hot Opportunity to Upgrade Y Chromosome Markers

The following letter was sent to all Family Tree DNA project administrators:

Family Tree DNA has been an industry leader in helping families find lost connections. As a result, the size of our database is unmatched and has achieved critical mass, allowing more and more family members and even adoptees or descendants of adoptees to find their biological paternal lines, including the surname of the original family. Are there missing (participants) among these adoptees looking for their connection to this direct paternal line?

In an effort to help answer that question Family Tree DNA is offering, for the first time ever, a discount on all Y DNA upgrades! We will be notifying each participant in the database who qualifies for this offer by email, and will provide them a direct link they may use to take advantage of this upgrade. There will be no need for participants to contact us directly in order to receive the reduced price; our prices will be adjusted in the system accordingly.

The offer will be from June 20th to June 30th. During this time, Family Tree DNA will reduce all of our Y-DNA upgrade prices. On average, the reduced prices will be 25% lower than the original upgrade price.

This is a great opportunity to increase the data in your surname project. Are there members who have been hesitant to upgrade due to price? This rare discount is an opportunity for them to upgrade and help both their group and potential lost relatives at the same time. When encouraging members to upgrade, you may wish to note that genetic matches allow people to find their biological lines rather than a specific individual.

This promotion is for upgrades only and does not apply to new kit orders. It’s our way to thank past customers for their patronage.

As always, we appreciate your continued support.

Family Tree DNA

=============================================

This is a fantastic opportunity and one not likely to be repeated, so if you have already Y-tested or sponsored someone at some level with Family Tree DNA, go to the personal page and order an upgrade as usual. The new pricing schedule is already in effect and visable.

Notices have been sent to all participants, but some email contact info is no longer current.

~History Chasers

Tales From Inside the Melting Pot

By: Stephanie Rose Bird

Like most African Americans from the southeast coast of the United States I thought I knew my ethnic heritage. We have a lengthy heritage for the most part, entwined for better or worse, with the stodgy old plantation culture of colonial America. So, we have names like Smith, Brown, Black, and White but also Irish and Scottish surnames as well as plenty monikers from elsewhere across Europe. Some of us mixed right into Native American communities becoming Seminole, Creek, and Lumbee—a beautiful, undeniably tri-racial people. Back to the beginning of my story, we assume we know our heritage and by all indications it is West African with some English/Irish and Native American but before I put the period there, that has come to mean African American, right? Well, maybe not............

Cont. Here:

http://www.divinecaroline.com/article/22362/46278-tales-melt

Budweiser Contest: Traces Your Family Tree To Roots In Africa

Register to Win a Genealogy Test and Trip for Four to the Motherland

January 30, 2008

This February – Black History Month – Anheuser-Busch and its flagship brand Budweiser will help one person win the chance of a lifetime: discovering their family’s origins and the opportunity to travel to that destination to retrace their family’s history.

The sweepstakes, “Discover Your History,” provides a grand prize that includes a trip for the winner and three guests to explore their ancestral background as determined via genetic testing. The journey includes round-trip air transportation and two double-occupancy hotel rooms for up to nine nights and a completed family tree. Nine First Prizes also will be awarded and consist of genetic genealogy testing and ancestral family tree research. Official sweepstakes rules, instructions and an online registration form can be obtained at www.budweiser.com.

“One of the most basic human desires is to understand who we are and how our family is woven into the broader, historic context of humanity,” said Johnny Furr Jr., vice president, Community Affairs and Supplier Diversity for Anheuser-Busch, Inc. “We at Budweiser are proud to offer a lucky family the chance to embark on this remarkable journey of discovery. We hope to inspire others to use today’s technology to learn about their ancestors and region of origin.”

Also during February, Budweiser is partnering with nationally syndicated radio host Michael Baisden to offer an additional 20 genetic genealogy tests and complete family tree compilations. Listeners may call in live during “The Michael Baisden Show,” a popular afternoon talk and music program, to answer questions pertaining to black history. Winners will be selected from listeners providing correct answers. Visit www.michaelbaisden.com for more details.

In total, 30 families will receive priceless information regarding their family history. The genetic testing will be done by AfricanDNA.com LLC, a company founded by Harvard University Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. His firm aims to use historians and anthropologists to explain which of various genetic possibilities – prompted by DNA traces – is more historically likely. The genealogy investigation works by matching a customer’s DNA to a database of samples collected from Africans living today. The large migrations of African people during the last 3,000 years mean that a contestant’s DNA might share genetic similarities with somebody living today in Ghana, Cameroon, Kenya, Angola, Nigeria or Sierra Leone.

Dr. Gates’ fascination with DNA searches led him to trace his own ancestry along with other famous African-Americans for a PBS miniseries. A sequel, featuring a new group of participants will air in February.

Genetic testing, DNA analysis and extensive research databases allow Americans of African descent to obtain more accurate evidence in the identification and continuity of family lines. Migration maps and other genealogical investigative tools are used to unravel complex ancestry that may lead to fascinating discoveries about lineage including slavery, Reconstruction, early U.S. history and more distant ancestral origins in Africa, the Americas and even Europe.

DNA studies have shown that people shared a common ancestor who lived in Africa between 50,000 to 200,000 years ago. As humanity’s ancestors migrated out of Africa into the rest of the world, small changes called mutations occurred in their DNA. As generations passed, some mutations link the ancestors to a time and place in history. The mutations found in contemporary DNA, through genetic testing, creates the ability to trace a person’s ancestral path to discover who their ancestors were, where they might have lived and how they migrated throughout the world.

The contest entry period is Feb. 1 through 29, 2008. Winners will be selected among all eligible entries in a random drawing to be held in March. The Grand Prize winner will be responsible for some expenses, and travel must be completed by June 30, 2009. The sweepstakes is open to residents of the United States (void where prohibited) who are at least 21 years old, and there is no purchase necessary to enter. An independent judging agency will conduct the drawing and notify winners by mail.

Based in St. Louis, Anheuser Busch is the leading American brewer, holding a 48.4 percent share of U.S. beer sales. The company brews the world’s largest-selling beers, Budweiser and Bud Light. Anheuser Busch also owns a 50 percent share in Grupo Modelo, Mexico’s leading brewer, and a 27 percent share in China brewer Tsingtao, whose namesake beer brand is the country’s best-selling premium beer. Anheuser-Busch ranked No. 1 among beverage companies in FORTUNE Magazine’s Most Admired U.S. and Global Companies lists in 2007. Anheuser Busch is one of the largest theme park operators in the United States, is a major manufacturer of aluminum cans and one of the world’s largest recyclers of aluminum cans. For more information, visit www.anheuser-busch.com.

Entry Here:

(Cut and paste if you don't get the entry form)

http://www.absweepstakes.com/1187-7329/abaccess.asp?password=T5E4S7

AFRICAN AMERICAN LIVES 2 | Coming Feb. 2008 to PBS

In February 2008 on PBS, Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. will guide an all-new group to build on the African American Lives experience — poet Maya Angelou, actor Morgan Freeman, theologian Peter Gomes, publisher Linda Johnson Rice, athlete Jackie Joyner-Kersee, radio host Tom Joyner and rock 'n' roll legend Tina Turner — on a journey to discover their ancestry in AFRICAN AMERICAN LIVES 2.

The new four-part series will draw on DNA analysis, genealogical research and family oral tradition to trace the lineages of the participants down through U.S. history and back to Africa.

PBS air date: Starting Wednesday, February 6th at 9/8C (check local listings).

Scroll Down to View Video

DNA Tests Find More Branches Than Roots

By RON NIXON
Published: November 25, 2007

HENRY LOUIS GATES JR., whose PBS special “African American Lives” explores the ancestry of famous African-Americans using DNA testing, has done more than anyone to help popularize such tests and companies that offer them. But recently this Harvard professor has become one of the industry’s critics.

Gates says his concerns date back to 2000, when a company told him his maternal ancestry could most likely be traced back to Egypt, probably to the Nubian ethnic group. Five years later, however, a test by a second company startled him. It concluded that his maternal ancestors were not Nubian or even African, but most likely European.
Why the completely different results? Mr. Gates said the first company never told him he had multiple genetic matches, most of them in Europe. “They told me what they thought I wanted to hear,” Mr. Gates said.

An estimated 460,000 people have taken genetic tests to determine their ancestry or to expand their known family trees, according to Science magazine. Census records, birth and death certificates, ship manifests, slave narratives and other documents have become easier to find through the Internet, making the hunt for family history less daunting than in years past.
Yet for many, the paper or digital trail eventually ends. And for those who have reached that point, genetic DNA tests may help to provide the final piece of the puzzle.

The expectations and reasons for taking the test vary. For some, the test allows them to reconnect with African ancestors after centuries of slavery wiped out links between African-Americans and their forebears. Others want to see if they have links to historical figures like Genghis Khan or Marie Antoinette. For still others, it’s an attempt to fill gaps in family histories and find distant cousins they might not otherwise have known.

The demand has spawned an industry. Almost two dozen companies now offer such services, up from just two or three only six years ago. The field is so hot that private equity investors have moved in: Spectrum Equity Investors recently bought Ancestry.com, an online genealogy site, for about $300 million shortly after the site added genetic testing as a service.

But as the number of test takers and companies has grown, so has the number of scientists or scholars like Mr. Gates who have questioned assertions that companies make about their tests. One of the most controversial issues is the ability of the tests to determine the country or the ethnic group of origin for African-Americans or Native Americans.

Mr. Gates, director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research at Harvard, said his experience and similar stories from others have prompted him to enter the field.

Mr. Gates recently teamed up with Family Tree DNA, a DNA testing and genealogy firm in Houston, to provide genetic testing and genealogy work for African-Americans. The new venture is called AfricanDNA.

“What we hope to do is combine this with genealogical and other records to try to help people discover their roots,” he said. “The limitations of current genetic DNA tests mean you can’t rely on this alone to tell you anything. We hope to bring a little order to the field.”

Full Article Here:

www.nytimes.com/2007/11/25/business/25dna.html

Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Joins Forces with Family Tree DNA to Launch AfricanDNA.com

Innovative Partnership Offers African Americans Unprecedented Choices in Search for Roots

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AfricanDNA.com, the first company dedicated to offering both genetic testing and genealogical tracing services for African Americans, is being launched this month by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and Director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research at Harvard University, in partnership with the Inkwell Foundation and Family Tree DNA, the world’s leader in genetic genealogy. The precedent-setting site is the only company in the field of genetic genealogy that will provide African Americans with family tree research in addition to DNA testing.

Gates, a celebrated author, educator and social critic, is a strong advocate of the value and benefits of genetic genealogy for African Americans. Noting that the process is still in its infancy, he says: “Most people don't realize it, but their roots are on the tips of their tongues. The available DNA data are not by any means complete, and these tests will not yield the names of any of the individuals on our distant family trees—just the general geographic areas in which our ancestors lived. Sometimes the tests yield multiple exact tribal matches, making it necessary for historians to interpret the most plausible result.”

AfricanDNA.com is the only company that offers the service of scholars interpreting multiple matches when compared to the database. A board of historical consultants will include Dr. Fatimah Jackson, Professor, Applied Biological Anthropology, University of Maryland; Dr. Linda Heywood and Dr. John Thornton, both African historians at Boston University; Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham, Professor of History and of African and African American Studies (Chair) at Harvard University; and Dr. David Eltis, director of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database at Emory University.

Gates comments that “sometimes African Americans will discover that their DNA can be traced to a white ancestor, especially on the father’s side, because of slavery. About 30 percent of the African American male population has a white male ancestor.”

AfricanDNA.com offers two premium tests. The Maternal Test (Female-mtDNA) is a high-resolution mtDNA test that looks at the mitochondria received by both men and women from their mothers. The Paternal Test, exclusively for males, is a Y-DNA test that details the inherited Y-chromosome. Both tests’ results will include placement in the ancestral tree of humankind. Tests will be processed at the Genomic Analysis and Technology Core laboratory at the University of Arizona, headed by Dr. Michael Hammer. The renowned geneticist has been associated with Family Tree DNA since the company’s inception. Both Family Tree DNA and the University of Arizona lab are respected for their commitment to stringent scientific standards and privacy guidelines.

Singular in the world of genealogy and genetics is AfricanDNA.com’s Genealogy Package. This unique product offers documented genealogical tracing of lineage as far back as records permit. Although former slaves, freed at the time of the Civil War, first appeared in the Federal census in 1870, many other records of African Americans under slavery still exist. Genealogists even discovered that Gates’ 4th great-grandfather—a Free Negro named John Redman—fought in the American Revolution, leading to Gates’ induction into the SAR (Sons of the American Revolution). DNA test takers who opt for the Genealogy Package will receive a customized family tree prepared by the AfricanDNA.com genealogy services group.

Genetic results of AfricanDNA customers will be compared with the database of Family Tree DNA, the most extensive comparative database of DNA test results in the world, including African results provided by leading anthropologists worldwide. These comparisons will point many AfricanDNA clients toward their African origins. A percentage of all profits will be donated to the Inkwell Foundation, dedicated to reforming the teaching of science and history in inner city schools using genetic and genealogical ancestry tracing.

Long interested in genealogical research and DNA testing, Gates is the author of Finding Oprah’s Roots, Finding Your Own (Crown, 2007) and the forthcoming In Search of Our Roots: How 19 Extraordinary African Americans Reclaimed Their Past, to be published next spring (Crown, 2008). He is also the host and executive producer of the critically acclaimed 2006 PBS series “African American Lives” and its follow-up, “Oprah’s Roots.” “African American Lives 2” will be broadcast on PBS in February, 2008 in conjunction with Black History Month.

Professor Gates is Editor-in-Chief of the Oxford African American Studies Center, the first comprehensive scholarly online resource in the field of African American and African Studies. Gates, an influential cultural critic, has written for Time Magazine, The New Yorker and the New York Times. The recipient of 48 honorary degrees and a 1981 MacArthur Foundation “Genius Award,” Henry Louis Gates, Jr. received a National Humanities Medal in 1998, and in 1999 was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Family Tree DNA, founded in April 2000, was the first company to develop the commercial application of DNA testing for genealogical purposes, which, until then, had only been available for academic and scientific research. Today, Family Tree DNA’s database exceeds 165,000 individual test records (roughly 110,000 Y-DNA and 55,000 mtDNA tests), making it the prime source for researching recent and distant family ties. Additionally, Family Tree DNA administers over 4400 surname projects, comprising some 65,000 unique surnames.

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