One of genetic genealogy’s most famous names is Bryan Sykes. He is an Oxford University Professor of Human Genetics and a Fellow of Wolfson College in Oxford.
Sykes has been involved in many famous studies dealing with DNA. One of his studies, Ötzi the Iceman, involved ancient DNA analysis with a well preserved mummy dating back from 3300 BC found in 1991. He was also involved in the DNA study of Cheddar Man, another ancient remains dating back to approximately 7150 BCE. The remains was found in Cheddar Gorge, Somerset, England. Sykes was instrumental in sequencing the mitochondrial DNA of Cheddar Man.
Sykes is a popular science writer. Many people often categorize him among Carl Sagan and Louis Leakey who are brilliant scientists who have the skill and talent to make difficult science topics easily understood by non-science people. Like Carl Sagan saying we are star stuff, Skyes considers genes as stuff of genealogy.
His book entitled “The Seven Daughters of Eve: The Science That Reveals Our Genetic Ancestry” is fast becoming a household name. In the book, he tended to portray himself like Galileo trying to single-handedly battling the intellectually or morally ignorant anthropologists and geneticists like L.L. Cavalli-Sforza of Standford University who does not recognize the importance of his mitochondrial DNA research.
This book presents the theory of Human mitochondrial genetics in a language that average people can understand. He explains important principles in human evolution in relation to genetics.
After mitochondrial genetics gained stable developments, Sykes began his scientific studies in human migrations. He has discussed about the out of Africa theory and refuted Heyerdahl's theory.
The book’s title alludes to the one of the biggest achievements in mitochondrial genetics: mitochondrial haplogroups.
The book also magnifies his argument that humanity will never stop getting obsessed with race despite popular propaganda against its existence. Accordingly, race is family and a racial group is an extended family having relative degree of inbreeding.
Sykes has spotted people’s great interest in knowing their family pedigree and connection and he has turned this reality into an online business undertaking. He launched a commercial firm called OxfordAncestors.com. One can trace his DNA to one of the seven Stone Age women for $220. These women were the ancestors of all 95 percent of White Europeans in the all-female line.
Mitochondrial DNA research can lead to tracking lines of female ancestry in the genealogy of a person. This is opposed to surname tracking involving the paternal line of descent which can be tracked through analyzing the Y chromosome.
Sykes once said: "When two people find out that they are in the same clan they often experience this feeling of connection. Very few can put it into words, but it is most definitely there."
Indeed, millions of human beings spend time and money to discover who they are. Some turn to the star while others turn to religion. But one thing is for sure: the tendency to care about biological relationships has always been encoded in our genes since thousands of years ago.
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Do you want to know exactly who your ancestors were: where they lived; what they did for a living; whether that story of highwaymen, criminals and corrupt relatives is factual, or a figment of Grandma's over-active imagination? |
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