Saturday, November 9, 2019

Saturday Serendipity (November 9, 2019)



Below are some suggested reads for this weekend.

1.  DNA profiles can be faked??  This week James Tanner of Genealogy's Star blog posts about why this is possible based on an article in Forensic Science International: Genetics (FSI Genetics).  You can read the post here and get a link to the FSI Genetics article.  The post also references a New York Times piece about fabrication of DNA evidence.  You can check the NYT piece where a lead scientist states that with access to a DNA profile in a database, "You can just engineer a crime scene. Any biology undergraduate could perform this."  You can see the NYT article here.

2.  A new Guinness  World Record has been announced -- the oldest living married couple in the world.  Go here to see a photo of the couple and learn how long they have been married, their present ages, and where they live.

3.  Janine Adams of Organize Your Family History blog is asking for input from other genealogists on the subject of her upcoming Roots Tech presentation on the subject of perfectionism as an impediment to progress in genealogy research.  Learn more here and see how you can comment and perhaps assist Janine in preparing her talk titled, "The Imperfect Genealogist."

4.  And there is another blogger this week who would appreciate any assistance other genealogists could lend.  Laura Mattingly of The Old Trunk in the Attic blog periodically posts old photos that need information about the identity of those in the picture.  Laura would like to not only identify those in the photos, she would like to reunite the photo with existing descendants.  See Laura's latest orphan photo here and get a link to past photos also needing assistance.

5.    The Legal Genealogist, Judy Russell, posted another thought provoking useful piece this week titled, "When it's not online."  Go here to read Judy's post and the list of alternatives she suggests when a source document one needs is not available on the web. [N.B. As is often the case, readers should also pay attention to the comments made on this post.]

6.  There are many stories now about the amazing discoveries that DNA technology and commercial testing have made possible.  People magazine had one such story recently and The Weekly Genealogist of NEHGS linked to it this week.  You can read the article here.  It involves a man who found the biological parents he thought died 50 years ago.

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Copyright 2019, John D. Tew
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