GENEALOGY-DNA-L Archives

Archiver > GENEALOGY-DNA > 2001-09 > 0999848330


From: Orin Wells <>
Subject: Re: [DNA] MtDNA Results
Date: Fri, 07 Sep 2001 00:40:29 -0700
References: <d2.c1fe86c.28c8ef91@aol.com><4.1.20010906205906.00981bb0@mail.utexas.edu>
In-Reply-To: <3B986DDE.DCD9A8CE@mlode.com>


At 11:49 PM 9/6/01 -0700, Allan S. Gleason wrote:
>My calculator is not capable of calculating the number of ancestors one
would have even 1000 generations ago.

>>Just going back to the time of Christ one might have about 10^30
grandparents give or take a million or so.

You don't have to go that far back to hit the "tilt" button.

As everyone knows it is an exponential progression. 2*1-2 parents, 2*2 - 4
grandparents 2*3 - greatgrandparents etc.

If one assumes 4 generations per century (some claim it is more like 35
years between, but not in all families for certain), it gives you 2*4 or 16
already back to 1900 (depending on when you were born - read it off a
grandchild or child). At 900 years (back to 1100 AD) you already are up to
32 billion ancestors (yes, billion with a "b"). This would be over about
36 generations or more people than have EVER lived on the earth. So it is
pretty obvious that there was a LOT of inbreeding going on - actually many
common ancestors after a while. In other words, we must ALL share a LOT of
the same DNA.

500 generations is really meaningless for genealogists let alone 1000.



Orin R. Wells
Wells Family Research Association
P. O. Box 5427
Kent, Washington 98064-5427
<>
http://www.rootsweb.com/~wellsfam/wfrahome.html
Subscribe to the "Wells-L" list on RootsWeb

This thread: