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Archiver > GENEALOGY-DNA > 2003-05 > 1053034783


From: Philip Ritter <>
Subject: Re: [DNA] PHYLOGEOGRAPHY of P.Underhill and SNPs
Date: Thu, 15 May 2003 14:39:43 -0700
References: <16b.1df6b96b.2be29627@aol.com><5.1.1.5.2.20030512224309.011b98a8@philr.pobox.stanford.edu>
In-Reply-To: <001101c31b0d$84aa8b80$928b8351@tinypc>


Thanks for the kind words. I'm just a low level researcher in the Stanford
Medical School, so cannot claim any expertise. My doctorate is in social
(not physical) anthropology and the last course I had in genetics was as an
undergraduate at Berkeley in the late 60's. Things have advanced a lot
since then. When I first joined this list I didn't know an STR from an
UEP/SNP. I am trying to learn as I go, and this list has been a great
help. Our list moderator, sometimes mentions the Stanford Library. Ann,
are you affiliated or formerly affiliated with Stanford? Did you have
courses from or are a colleague of Underhill or Cavalli-Sforza?

FTDNA has made a good first step by offering to test for UEP's that will
define the haplogroup that you are most likely to belong based on your STR
values. It would be nice if they could just include a set of the most
relevant SNP's (perhaps the ones that define R1b, R1a, H, I, G, J and O) in
an extended y-chromosome marker kit. Would 19-25 markers that included the
usual 12 plus 7-13 SNP's be done for the same price as 25 STR's? Or are
SNP's more expensive to determine than STR's?

Philip Ritter

HAMMAN family y-chromosome DNA coordinator


At 07:11 PM 5/15/2003 +0100, you wrote:

>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Philip Ritter" <>
>To: <>
>Sent: Tuesday, May 13, 2003 4:09 PM
>Subject: Re: [DNA] THE MOLECULE HUNT, book by M.Jones
>
>
>Dear Phillip Ritter
>
>You wrote :
> > in bones too old to contain actual DNA. The book is kind of a compendium
> > of the various attempts so far to find ancient organic molecules. For
>more
> > detail specifically about using modern DNA to reconstruct human evolution,
> > Olsen's and Syke's books may have more information. But for an overview
>of ..........
>
>Your input to our LIST is always positive and very helpful to me. With an
>address like yours I always sit up and take notice. Your message, 8th
>November 2002, re YCC Biosci, sparked more interest than was shown on our
>LIST. For me the keyword was phylogeography; keyed first, I believe ,by a
>colleage of yours, Peter Underhill. Peter is without doubt a leading
>advocate of using Y-chrom DNA for tracking ancient populations. Peter's
>input to the top class scientific paper, O.Semino et al, 2000, sets a high
>standard. His scientific paper, P.A.Underhill et al, 2001,
>http://hpgl.stanford.edu/publications/AHG_2001_v65_p43.pdf (ends p.43.pdf)
>continues the pattern; and in 20 pages (2 years before) ,covers most of the
>ground that Dr. Spencer Wells' book, The Journey of Man, outlined. Peter
>Underhill includes 9 maps and a 2 phylogeny charts, and a full list UEP's
>etc. I agree with your notion that the DNA test labs should ' throw in a few
>"binary markers" '; Georgia K. Bopp and Steve Williamson made very useful
>comments. I hope that we shall hear more on this subject. I too, would like
>to see our Y-chrom horizons widened. Best wishes, Alan.
>
>Alan J Derriscott
><>
>Wallasey, Wirral, England.
>
>
>
>
>==============================
>To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records,
>go to:
>http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237

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