| Your genetic ancestry | 2005-04-15 22:17 4 comments |
 by Flemming FunchNational Geographic has a program where you can submit a DNA sample and be told your genetic history, where your ancestors came from and how they have migrated. That would be fun to see. 10 years ago I worked as a computer programmer for a company that did testing for organ transplants. That wasn't primarily DNA testing, but serological testing. I.e. one tests reactions between different drops of blood, and one measures against HLA, Human Leukocyte Antigens, on a section of chromosome 6, which has characteristic markings, which happen to be useful for testing tissue compatibility. Anyway, they also showed me charts like that, where the different types had been tracked over time in different parts of the world, and migratory patterns revealed. And I got a kick out of that they frequently wanted my blood, because it apparently was tricky to type, so they would use it for verifying the correctness of some of their tests. It is nice to be special. |