Comments on: “Descent From Antiquity” – Genetic Trivia, or a Profound Truth?

By: Jim Johnson

Jim Johnson — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:03:19 +0000

Why do you even post things like this, what a joke..

By: Another Tim

Another Tim — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:05:13 +0000

Fran — you are right.

Or to paraphrase, “the nut fell far from the tree.”

By: Fran

Fran — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:33:45 +0000

Being related to all those presidents and he still can’t accomplish anything presidential.

By: whitcwa

whitcwa — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 15:52:24 +0000

I have never understood the pride people take in finding out an ancestor was famous or was a passenger on the Mayflower. We can’t take the blame or get the credit for the actions of those who preceded us.

Zeytoun, 10% sounds way too high. It implies that most women are cheating on their husbands since not every liason leads to pregnancy.

By: Skipweasel

Skipweasel — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 09:51:10 +0000

Well, this…
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10407460
suggests that at least in one population the estimate of 10% isn’t far off.

While this study from Switzerland…
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7860087
gives a much lower value for their population.

By: Shurik

Shurik — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 19:05:50 +0000

im gonna go and back the 10 percent bastard births and chastise the made up statistics guy for making shit up

By: Skipweasel

Skipweasel — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 18:09:52 +0000

“Family Tree” is always a very self-centered phrase. Rather, think of it as a family thicket, intertwined with everyone else’s.

By: felixthecat

felixthecat — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 10:06:18 +0000

“On average, 10% of people were not sired by the person they believe is their father.”

Sperm Wars, Robin Baker

“Consider this: on average, 90% of unsourced statistics are made up.”

Defensive?

By: Foreigner1

Foreigner1 — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 09:15:50 +0000

I knew it I knew it!!! – Y’all are distant cuzzez of mine!!! – We’re all related and that’s why we all feel so comfy cozy around here.

…Oh Darn I’m Dutch so that doesn’t fly for me if you all are English…… Well in that case surely Van Buren must be family of mine in some way or form.

… Oh wait if we go back even futher, some of my anscestors went to England in the time of the Daneland so I still must have lots of relatives over Yonder and then indirectly also in the America’s (apart from the confirmed members that went there during the late 1890′s and early 1900′s and just after WW2…).

And if we go back even before that, undoubtedly during the time of the Great Migrations there must have been common anscestors.

And even before that during the days of Cro Magnon or befor that during Australopithecus-Days……….

Hello there Exended Family!!!!

By: werD

werD — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 06:22:04 +0000

10% of people were not sired by the person they believe is their father?

Consider this: on average, 90% of unsourced statistics are made up.

By: Stymie

Stymie — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 04:52:42 +0000

Sorry, sounds a wee bit ‘fishy’ to me.

By: wigglesPEsquire

wigglesPEsquire — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 03:28:12 +0000

So he’s not a Van Buren boy?

By: fredsnothere

fredsnothere — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:58:05 +0000

Follow all the branches in between you’ll probably find yourself in Hitler’s mother’s womb as well. Follow a few others and you’ll probably find Ted Bundy and Josef Stalin too. Go back far enough and everyone’s a monkey’s uncle. Booya!

By: Johnny Cat

Johnny Cat — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:47:06 +0000

Cue the Martin Van Buren haters in 3…2…1..

Seriously though, nice article. Provokes thought that should be basic understanding.

By: tr

tr — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:07:16 +0000

Not really ironic at all. The Prominent Citizens of the english colonies were peppered liberally with cadet branches of the British ruling class. In time the colonial upper crust became the early U.S. upper crust, which has proven to be about as stable as that of most societies.

By: eni

eni — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 23:47:32 +0000

Ironic that all our presidents are descended from an English king…

By: zeytoun

zeytoun — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 23:30:32 +0000

Consider this:

On average, 10% of people were not sired by the person they believe is their father.

In other words, going back further than 10 generations means that it is more probable that you are NOT related to the ancestor, with increasing probability, the further you go…

By: wit of a twit

wit of a twit — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 23:28:23 +0000

there is one thing that has bothered me about genealogy/ family trees. There are so many tpeople that came together to form a family and or descended from a common ancestor. Knowing that people still like to focus on the one individual that was different.

By: Flux

Flux — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:55:44 +0000

I’m sure, somehow, he’s also related to Kevin Bacon.