From individual blood samples to a single piece of hair, genealogists can determine ancestry through molecular DNA.

Dr. Scott Woodward, who has been studying the link between genealogy and biology for the last three years, indicated that DNA is a prime source of information for discovering particular aspects of any gene pool.

"You have a history in you-that is what we would like to be able to unlock," said Woodward, BYU microbiology professor.

According to his studies, the biological relationship between an individual and his ancestors in unique, because particular strains of DNA are only passed through males and females; thus fathers pass particular DNA to their sons, and mothers to their daughters, Woodward said.

"Each of us has 50 percent from mom and dad, 25 percent from grandparents and so on," Woodward said.

This ratio creates gene pools in every place where a person lives, said Woodward during BYU's bi-annual family history fireside Oct. 11. The gene pool defines individual places and people living at particular times.

"Each of you represents a different gene pool. Some of you share a similar gene pool," said Woodward.

These individual strains of DNA leave a trail throughout each generation linking particular persons back to places and times called a common ancestry, Woodward said.

"If we combine information of what kind of genes were present at a particular time and place, we will be identifying that particular ancestry," Woodward said.

Only in recent years have people traveled across the globe, he said. During the early 1900s and throughout the 1800s people grew up in the same location, providing vital information into their past.

"There are so many bits of information," he said. "It is very easy to identify you as a unique individual."

Woodward said this allows individuals to identify genes from certain areas around the world allowing them to find parts of their ancestry.

The strong association between genealogy and DNA connects researchers to living individuals who are their ancestors, Woodward said. It may connect people from city to city, state to state, and country to country.

A common problem among those studying family trees is that similar names are common. DNA allows a researcher to eliminate possibilities and increase the chance of finding the correct ancestor, Woodward said.

Woodward's current study concentrates on over 35,000 participants from all over the world, including students on BYU campus and throughout the Provo area. He has spent time in both Western and Eastern Europe finding information for the study.

To participate in the study, please visit the Sorensen Genealogy Foundation's Web site at www.smgf.org.



Copyright Brigham Young University 18 Oct 2002