DNA – Who or What Is in Your Unique Genes?
People have been aware of DNA and genetics for centuries. Even though the terminology didn’t exist, they could see the results of it in their offspring.
Heredity
Do you look more like your mother or your father? It doesn’t necessarily have to be one or the other. It could be a combination of both or someone further back in your lineage. Looks and other body features are the best way to see and explain DNA, genetics, and heredity. The results are readily apparent. You can see them.
Plenty of photographs are available from the mid-twentieth century, so you may even notice a similarity in looks between yourself and a distant ancestor. For example, I look a lot like my maternal grandfather. I have the same high forehead and big eyes.
My younger brother and I have the same grandfather in common. However, my brother didn’t look like him at all. He looked like our grandfather’s father, our great-grandfather. Similar facial hair and hairstyle can undoubtedly accentuate the resemblance, but it was recognizable. Yeah, Brother Terry and Old Walter Caleb could have been twins other than the 100-year or so age difference. So you see, the similarities can skip several generations. Sadly, my brother passed away about three years ago at the age of 63. Rest in peace, brother.
Although this look-alike phenomenon fascinated people for centuries, it didn’t have any practical value, or did it? Well, it did for livestock and plants. There is a significant advantage in observing differences and similarities in animals and especially plants compared to people, and that is time. Most crops only last a year and then are replanted the following year. Also, the lifespan of livestock is considerably less than that of people. Adjustments to growing conditions helped produce more abundant crops and healthier animals. Well, that was then, and this is now. But what has DNA done for us recently?
DNA Testing
Scientists use DNA derived from samples to compare to a target DNA for a possible match. Collected samples can include hair, fingernails, skin, blood, saliva, etc. Those trained in the analysis of DNA can apply the test results to aid in the following situations:
- As a paternity test.
- For criminal investigations.
- Family trees.
- Genetics and your health.
Paternity Tests
There can be no doubt about the identity of a child’s biological mother as the child comes directly out of the woman’s body. However, it is not as easy to know the birth father’s identity. Paternity tests are the only way to determine, without a doubt, the biological father of a child.
Let’s talk about TV talk shows. Maury Povich had a talk show called Maury for many years. Virtually every show was about paternity. Set the scene. The show usually consisted of three people: two women (or girls) and a man. One of the women was the wife or partner of the man, and the other woman was “the other woman“. This trio, by most people’s standards, was usually trailer trash.
The Maury show exploited the intense emotions of these three individuals for TV ratings. The typical scenario was that the female partner accused the man of having a relationship with the other woman that resulted in a child. He would respond that he didn’t have such a relationship, or if he did, the child wasn’t his.
Maury would determine the truth of the situation through a lie detector or DNA test. He would announce the results about three-quarters of the way through the show. Most of the time, the results were positive. The man was the biological father of the other woman’s child. Then, all hell would break out with foul language bleeped out. Often, the situation would descend into physical violence. It was American television at its finest. (In case you missed it, that last sentence was sarcasm.)
DNA Profiling to Solve Crimes
Colin Pitchfork has the dubious distinction of being the first person ever to be convicted of murder with the aid of DNA profiling. It happened in Leicestershire, England, in 1987. It’s a fascinating story. There was already a suspect in the case who admitted to the two murders. However, DNA comparisons determined that he was not the murderer.
What happened next is rather intriguing. Authorities collected and analyzed blood and saliva samples from 4,000 men in the area but didn’t find a match. Subsequently, they discovered that Colin Pitchfork had paid someone to give DNA samples on his behalf. Ultimately, his DNA did match. He was arrested, convicted and sentenced to life in prison.
Although the Colin Pitchfork situation happened over 30 years ago, it was the beginning of using DNA to solve crimes. DNA has become a vital tool in solving crimes. It has also helped to free those serving time in prison for crimes they didn’t commit. Unfortunately, timing is everything. DNA testing wasn’t discovered soon enough to save all the innocents put to death for crimes they didn’t commit.
Family Trees
Finding out about your ancestors, where they came from, and developing a family tree is a popular hobby these days. The hobby is particularly fascinating in Canada and the United States, where most of the people are immigrants or from an immigrant background. Unless your ancestors were indigenous to North America, your ethnic background lies elsewhere.
For a price, many companies offer DNA testing to determine your ethnic background. There may be subsequent follow-up communication naming possible relatives based on DNA testing results. All this information can assist you in developing your family tree, and your tree could go back many generations.
My family purchased four DNA test kits from Ancestry.ca a few years ago. It was a straightforward process. We each had to take a saliva sample with a cotton swab, put the samples in the supplied vials, and return them. The results were exciting but also a little disappointing, and I’ll tell you why after you see them. The tests weren’t cheap at a total cost of CA $415.98 for the four kits, and that was the sale price because it was just before Christmas.
My Family’s DNA Results
| Country | Me | Wife | D#1 | D#2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Philippines | 100% | 50% | 50% | |
| Scotland | 41% | 20% | 17% | |
| Sweden | 19% | 8% | 11% | |
| England & Northwestern Europe | 14% | 4% | 12% | |
| Ireland | 12% | 9% | 4% | |
| Germanic Europe | 10% | 5% | ||
| Eastern Europe & Russia | 4% | 4% | 6% |
Reaction to the DNA Results
Now, the chart is quite interesting. However, the disappointment should jump right out at you. I paid over $100.00 CA for Ancestry.ca to tell me that my wife is Filipina. I can look across the breakfast table and see my wife is Filipina. So, from her kit, we didn’t get any value for our money. And this extends to my daughters, who are each 50% Filipina, according to the results.
I phoned to complain, and the representative told me they were still developing the system in the Philippines. It would have been nice to know that before they took my money. He then continued with a lengthy and rehearsed speech to justify the lack of detail in my wife’s results. There was no justification in his remarks. However, it did explain why the results for my two daughters are different.
He said to think of the gene pool from my wife and myself as a bowl filled with equal counts of M&Ms and Skittles. If you grab a handful of the candies, you will not get an equal number of each. Furthermore, you will get a different mix than in the previous handful if you grab another handful. It was a perfect explanation but did not justify the lack of details in my wife’s test.
Were there never any indigenous people in the Philippines? Has no country ever invaded the Philippines? Was everyone living in the Philippines for the last many centuries only Filipino? (Sarcasm again. I hope you caught it this time.) Or perhaps my wife is a purebred.
Genetics and Your Health
Another contributor to domestic DNA testing is 23andme.com. For significantly more than you would pay for the service at Ancestry.com, 23andme.com offers an upgrade that includes, among other things, information on your health. It can tell you how genetics affects your health now and even into the future. It can even suggest what inherited conditions you may have if you are concerned before beginning a new family.
The discoveries around DNA are profound, and I suspect researchers will discover many new uses and applications. We are still only at the beginning.
And Now For Your Listening Enjoyment
To hear Meghan Trainer’s 2020 recording of Genetics featuring the Pussycat Dolls, click here.
The above essay is for entertainment and English language study only. For suggestions on how to use this post to improve your English reading and listening comprehension, click here.
Vocabulary
- DNA – abbreviation; the carrier of genetic information; genes from your parents that make you who you are
- genetics – noun; of, in, or concerning origin; inherited physical traits from your parents
- offspring – noun; a person’s child or children or descendant(s); a person’s children
- lineage – noun; lineal descent; ancestry, pedigree; your ancestors; relatives before you
- heredity – noun; the passing of physical or mental characteristics genetically from one generation to another; inherited physical and mental traits from your parents
- accentuate – transitive verb; emphasize; make prominent; emphasize
- phenomenon – noun; a fact, circumstance, or occurrence that appears or is perceived, esp. one of which the cause is in question; something that seems unusual
- paternity – noun; fatherhood; fatherhood
- biological – adjective; (of a parent) involved in the procreation of the child in question; birth parent (in this context)
- the other woman – noun; a married man’s mistress; a married man’s mistress
- trailer trash – noun; a poor, lower-class, esp. boorish white person typified as living in a mobile home; poor and uneducated white person
- exploited – transitive verb, past tense; derogatory utilize or take advantage of (esp. a person)for one’s own ends; to use someone in a bad way
- sarcasm – noun; the use of bitter or wounding, esp. ironic remarks; saying the opposite of what is meant often in a joking way
- dubious – adjective; of questionable value or truth; famous but for a bad reason
- profiling – noun; analysis of a person’s genetic makeup (in this context)
- intriguing – adjective; provoking (a person’s) interest or curiosity; very interesting and mysterious
- subsequently – adverb; following a specified event, etc. in time; after that
- family tree – noun; a chart showing relationships and lines of descent; a chart showing your relatives
- indigenous – adjective; of, pertaining to, or concerned with the aboriginal inhabitants of a region; the original people living in the area (in this context)
- ethnic – adjective; relating to race or culture; of the same culture
- generations – pl noun; all the people born at a particular time; people born in the same time period; often considered to be a twenty-year period
- profound – adjective; having or showing great knowledge or insight; exciting and almost unbelievable (in this context)
Comprehension Questions
- Do you look like your mother or your father?
- Are there talk shows on TV in your country?
Yes or No - Have you or someone in your family created a family tree?
Yes or No - Are you interested in your family heritage?
Yes or No - Do you have health problems that one or both of your parents also had?
Yes or No
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