I want to write about ancestral DNA testing and processing. It may not seem appropriate on an Aztec gold forum, but to my Aztec family it is important.
The first thing to know about ancestral DNA processing, is that the technology is changing very fast. When I first used ancestral DNA testing, maybe a generation ago, all they had was Y-marker, which went from father to son, with occasional mutations. It was only good for human migration studies. They had a calculator which would compare your y-markers with someone else's. I entered my data twice, and it told me my common ancestor with myself was around 250 years ago. Hahaha.
But, it did show that I was probably of Irish male ancestry. They even reported I had a near relative in Iceland, probably someone who went back when the Vikings went home to stay.
Today, as far as I know, it is still mostly used in human migration studies. For example, some say y-marker testing shows "American Indians" came to the Americas, around 250 A.D. to 600 A.D. From China, perhaps. Interestingly, 536 A.D. was a year of cold and hunger, perhaps from a volcano. [See Volcanic Winter of 536, wikipedia.] Those immigrants were not the first ones, but apparently replaced existing populations, if any still existed.
Experts on y-marker allege a small number of historical samples (such as grave-robbing?) can even tell you if a population was growing or shrinking during a time period. Again, this assumes massive computer services.
The same experts claim the Americas had nearly as many people at one time as Europe had, but it dropped very low by 1492. Possible causes might be disease or the 536 cold. I certainly have no idea.
Next type of DNA testing is mitochondria, which is passed from mother to child, but men do not pass it on. When they developed it, I wanted to test it, because they said I could estimate my earliest female ancestor. Some of my family is racist, and I am "Never Forget a Grudge" Irish so I wanted to be able to tell them our earliest female ancestor was Zulu like Oprah Winfrey. No such luck. Rats! I wanted to give my racist siblings the exciting news, but she was Caucasian. Dang!
Then, but not last, autosomal. This requires even more computer services. It allows male and female comparisons and ancestry. 23andme supplies you with a world map showing all the places you had ancestry. They give you a list of 1500 kinfolk up to 6th cousin, and ways to communicate with them. So far I found only one error; my brother's grandson is shown as my first cousin. If I didn't know my brother's surgical history, I would assume it was correct.
So far, simple. But, they have other capacities. They have learned that certain DNA sequences are tied to certain geographic locations in the world, which is how they can show you geographic locations of your ancestral record. That is how, last week, they were able to send my wife a packet telling her where her ancestors lived. First, they said from where we live down to Mexico city which makes sense since she is a known descendant of the Emperors.
So, that was no surprise. Her other location was the Isthmus of Tehuantepec which is a surprise. Since her mother is of Aztec ancestry, it is likely her father's ancestry. We have photos back several generations and that family has a different ethnic appearance.
Those who claim DNA is a hoax or guessing probably mean it. They simply don't know. I suppose a few could be "Sand castle runners", but I believe most are locked in on obsolete information from years ago.
The first thing to know about ancestral DNA processing, is that the technology is changing very fast. When I first used ancestral DNA testing, maybe a generation ago, all they had was Y-marker, which went from father to son, with occasional mutations. It was only good for human migration studies. They had a calculator which would compare your y-markers with someone else's. I entered my data twice, and it told me my common ancestor with myself was around 250 years ago. Hahaha.
But, it did show that I was probably of Irish male ancestry. They even reported I had a near relative in Iceland, probably someone who went back when the Vikings went home to stay.
Today, as far as I know, it is still mostly used in human migration studies. For example, some say y-marker testing shows "American Indians" came to the Americas, around 250 A.D. to 600 A.D. From China, perhaps. Interestingly, 536 A.D. was a year of cold and hunger, perhaps from a volcano. [See Volcanic Winter of 536, wikipedia.] Those immigrants were not the first ones, but apparently replaced existing populations, if any still existed.
Experts on y-marker allege a small number of historical samples (such as grave-robbing?) can even tell you if a population was growing or shrinking during a time period. Again, this assumes massive computer services.
The same experts claim the Americas had nearly as many people at one time as Europe had, but it dropped very low by 1492. Possible causes might be disease or the 536 cold. I certainly have no idea.
Next type of DNA testing is mitochondria, which is passed from mother to child, but men do not pass it on. When they developed it, I wanted to test it, because they said I could estimate my earliest female ancestor. Some of my family is racist, and I am "Never Forget a Grudge" Irish so I wanted to be able to tell them our earliest female ancestor was Zulu like Oprah Winfrey. No such luck. Rats! I wanted to give my racist siblings the exciting news, but she was Caucasian. Dang!
Then, but not last, autosomal. This requires even more computer services. It allows male and female comparisons and ancestry. 23andme supplies you with a world map showing all the places you had ancestry. They give you a list of 1500 kinfolk up to 6th cousin, and ways to communicate with them. So far I found only one error; my brother's grandson is shown as my first cousin. If I didn't know my brother's surgical history, I would assume it was correct.
So far, simple. But, they have other capacities. They have learned that certain DNA sequences are tied to certain geographic locations in the world, which is how they can show you geographic locations of your ancestral record. That is how, last week, they were able to send my wife a packet telling her where her ancestors lived. First, they said from where we live down to Mexico city which makes sense since she is a known descendant of the Emperors.
So, that was no surprise. Her other location was the Isthmus of Tehuantepec which is a surprise. Since her mother is of Aztec ancestry, it is likely her father's ancestry. We have photos back several generations and that family has a different ethnic appearance.
Those who claim DNA is a hoax or guessing probably mean it. They simply don't know. I suppose a few could be "Sand castle runners", but I believe most are locked in on obsolete information from years ago.
