My Ancestors Did What to Their DNA?
@cmoneyspinner (9221)
Austin, Texas
July 11, 2016 12:28pm CST
Suppose you were doing research on your family tree?
Do you watch that PBS program "Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates Jr." where he traces the ancestry of celebrities? He does the ancestry research two ways: via the records and documents available and via a DNA test. ( pbs.org/weta/finding-your-roots/about/ )
Suppose one of your ancestors underwent gene replacement therapy?
4 people like this
4 responses
@chrisandmark (606)
• United Kingdom
11 Jul 16
I don't know why I find it so irrationally funny that the James Bond guy went from North Korean to British!
2 people like this
@msiduri (5687)
• United States
12 Jul 16
I didn't see the movie, but there is no such thing as a North Korean DNA. Nor is there a British DNA. There are genes that occur more frequently in certain geographic areas simply because people tend to marry people close to them. Plus, DNA exists in every cell in the body. So I'm not getting this at all.
I think when these shows name DNA as coming from a certain geographic region based on statistics, but that's a guess. I don't really watch them. I have—I find the history in them often quite interesting.
1 person likes this
@cmoneyspinner (9221)
• Austin, Texas
12 Jul 16
Oh yes! I totally get the part that's fiction. By saying North Korean and British, I am referring to the geographical areas. But I was trying to explain the plot in the James Bond as well. Yeah. The lines got criss-crossed in the explanation.
But don't you think, touting DNA analysis or genetics as a precise or an exact science and then also knowing that genes can be modified, spliced, diced or even replaced, sort of takes the “reliability” about the testing process??
It's a thought. I just want a knowledgeable and qualified geneticist to tell me plainly that what I'm thinking is foolish, makes absolutely no sense, and is completely unscientific; and that most certainly, if DNA test results are used in a court of law to prove or disprove the guilt or innocent of the accused, the results should be presented and accepted with these factors also being considered. That's all! 
@msiduri (5687)
• United States
12 Jul 16
@cmoneyspinner Ah, okay. I'm not a qualified geneticist, nor do I deal in law enforcement.
I would suggest posing that question in a different forum. It's quite specialized.
1 person likes this
@cmoneyspinner (9221)
• Austin, Texas
13 Jul 16
@msiduri - I don't know of any specialized forums. Although? Come to think of it ... I could probably mention this topic on Quora. Anyway … I just put it out here because … you never know … this is a large community with people from everywhere who have all kinds of KSAs (knowledge, skills and abilities). I thought to myself … there could be an informed scientist who also happens to be a myLot member. They might see this discussion and chime in! It's possible! 
@HazySue (39264)
• Gouverneur, New York
4 May 17
@cmoneyspinner I agr4ee. Stop the aging process. I would never trust anyone enough to allow them to change my DNA in any way.
1 person likes this
@acelawrites (19273)
• Philippines
11 Jul 16
It is so funny who they could transform a North Korean to a British one? They could manipulate the genes, but I don't know if he will truly be transformed into another kind of person.
1 person likes this
