tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148773.post9210928184153135482..comments2024-03-27T14:50:47.345-04:00Comments on <center>Sandwalk</center>: Adoptees use DNA to find surnameLarry Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05756598746605455848noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148773.post-61500891783880220272014-04-28T14:42:02.081-04:002014-04-28T14:42:02.081-04:00I take it you've never read "The Ugly Duc...I take it you've never read "The Ugly Duckling".Lionesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08248105912379321811noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148773.post-21089513245357644972011-02-17T19:03:16.198-05:002011-02-17T19:03:16.198-05:00valhar2000: you are a moronvalhar2000: you are a moronAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148773.post-50998341483431105952008-11-03T08:20:00.000-05:002008-11-03T08:20:00.000-05:00What leaves me mystified about this is this obsess...What leaves me mystified about this is this obsession people have with identify their biological parents. What is the point? Do a lot of people want this, or is it just a Hollywood script-writer thing?Valhar2000https://www.blogger.com/profile/05467019327257867276noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148773.post-79502668109920798042008-10-21T16:12:00.000-04:002008-10-21T16:12:00.000-04:00SLC - these are both good points, and very true, b...SLC - these are both good points, and very true, but I only used Y-DNA as an example. mtDNA can also be used, and in the future (as the price of sequencing drops and more people undergo whole-genome sequencing) autosomal DNA will also be an option. <BR/><BR/>Every method has its drawbacks, but the fact that adopted individuals have already been able to identify biological parents shows that they all have at least some probability of success.TheGeneticGenealogisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08991289742965223941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148773.post-91036741876807952722008-10-21T13:38:00.000-04:002008-10-21T13:38:00.000-04:00Re thegeneticgenealogist1. But using the Y chromo...Re thegeneticgenealogist<BR/><BR/>1. But using the Y chromosome as a marker means that only males could use this technique.<BR/><BR/>2. As I understand it, the Y chromosome is passed down through the male line. It would seem that the more distance the relationship, the less likely that that a Y chromosome would be shared between the distant cousin and the subject of the search.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148773.post-40605812865439270012008-10-21T07:13:00.000-04:002008-10-21T07:13:00.000-04:00SLC - the biological parents don't have to be in t...SLC - the biological parents don't have to be in the database. Identifications can be made after characterizing the Y-chromosome alone, for example, which can be done through comparison to EXTREMELY distant cousins (this method potentially identifies a surname, which might be enough of a clue to complete a search).TheGeneticGenealogisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08991289742965223941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148773.post-57163439715411957302008-10-21T06:50:00.000-04:002008-10-21T06:50:00.000-04:00Maybe I'm missing something here but it would seem...Maybe I'm missing something here but it would seem that the DNA of the unknown parent(s) would have to be in a data base accessible to the seeker in order for this to be feasible. It would appear that the answer is to make such data bases inaccessible to casual observers.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148773.post-25430193261118092742008-10-20T17:01:00.000-04:002008-10-20T17:01:00.000-04:00Actually, I do think it is a potential problem, an...Actually, I do think it is a potential problem, and less than a month ago I wrote a whole piece on the blog about the future of identifying unknown parents using DNA. As a conclusion, I wrote about some of the ethical concerns:<BR/><BR/>"For most people, being able to identify your own ancestors based on your own DNA poses few if any ethical dilemmas. However, what if your neighbor or your stalker or even law enforcement wants to use a sample of your DNA to identify your ancestors? Additionally, what if your living ancestor doesn’t wish to be identified? Does the ancestor have that right, or is possible identification through genetic genealogy just one of the consequences of parenting a child anonymously or simply having sex with another person?"<BR/><BR/>Regardless of which side you or I support, my thought is that it will be nearly impossible to prevent an adopted individual from using genetic testing to learn about their biological parents. Currently, and even more so in the future, it will be impossible to prevent an adopted individual from sequencing their DNA (and as you'll see from my blog post, in the near future adopted individuals will be able to use both sex chromosomes and autosomal DNA to search for connections). Additionally, it will be nearly impossible to prevent the individual from comparing their DNA to others. These two abilities are all that is needed to identify unknown parents.<BR/><BR/>I think this type of discussion is important in that it helps trigger thought and debate. What are your thoughts (or, alternatively, the specific questions you would raise)? In this new age of cheap genetic sequencing and analysis (for better or worse), how would you ensure that an anonymous parent's wishes are respected?TheGeneticGenealogisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08991289742965223941noreply@blogger.com