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Archiver > GENEALOGY-DNA > 2002-01 > 1011912799


From:
Subject: Re: [DNA] Y- str European database
Date: Thu, 24 Jan 2002 17:53:25 EST


In a message dated 01/21/02 8:38:07 PM Pacific Standard Time,
writes:


> And just for fun I ask: Why are we placing our entire heredity on a
> database of
> mostly criminals?

And in all seriousness I answer: there's no *necessary* implication that the
DNA samples come from criminals. The word "forensic" in this context seems to
imply that the database could serve a purpose in legal proceedings. I checked
the article which describes the Y STR database, and it didn't have much to
say about the source of the samples -- just that each contributing laboratory
had to supply at least 75 samples of males originating in a defined
geographical region. "In most instances, the definition of a regional
haplotype pool is based upon surnames and/or birth places." The long list of
authors seemed to have mostly academic affiliations, so maybe the DNA samples
came from university students <g>

http://www.eva.mpg.de/genetics/Roewer_FSI2001.pdf

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