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From: "robert mclaren" <>
Subject: Re: [DNA] 60 Minutes Genetic Genealogy Segment Up Next
Date: Sun, 7 Oct 2007 22:02:58 -0400


Anne,

I agree with you. I miised the very beginning. At the start of what I saw,
it was factual. However, they then said
all DNA companies ignored that they were only testing a small portion of
your ancestry. (Many of us on this list forget this when we start trying
to equate genetic traits such as hair, eyes, toes, etc. with a Y-DNA
haplogroup.) I found this statement oversimplified and not entirely true.
Then they paid for testing of a female African-American at several
companies. The companies, African Ancestry, Relative Genetics, and Trace
Genetics all gave her a tribe in Africa -- and each was different.
However, they then said Family Tree DNA gave her a number of different
areas. All companies were labeled together, yet FTDNA's answer was closest
to what is likely the truth.

While the impression was that the DNA test was meaningless, there actually
was some information provided. While the woman did not find out what tribe
she could claim as part of her ancestry, she did get a good idea of the
area her maternal line comes from. True, it covers a number of countries,
but that is information she did not have before.

The did not say what testing was involved, nor anything else about the
testing.

All-in-all, a trypical 60 Minutes presentation. Everytime they cover a
story that I have quite a bit of knowledge about, their treatment falls way
short and is often in error.

Yours aye,

Bob McLaren
Chairman, Genealogy Committee, Clan MacLaren Society of North America
Administrator, Clan MacLaren Surname DNA Project (Worldwide)
Administrator, Lindo Surname DNA Project (Worldwide)
Administrator, da Silva Surname DNA Project (Worldwide)
Member, Association of Professional Genealogists


> [Original Message]
> From: <>
> To: <>
> Date: 10/7/2007 8:40:09 PM
> Subject: Re: [DNA] 60 Minutes Genetic Genealogy Segment Up Next
>
>
> In a message dated 10/7/2007 6:54:20 P.M. Central Daylight Time,
> writes:
>
> CBS's "60 Minutes" show will feature a
> report about Genetic Genealogy.
>
>
> While I appreciate the publicity, I thought the slant was negative and
the
> information not adequately explained nor completely accurate. I have
emailed
> CBS about it.
>
> Anne



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