Y DNA haplogroup of Charles Darwin

The latest promotional fluff from the Genographic project:
The test revealed that Chris Darwin, and therefore his paternal great-great-grandfather, Charles Darwin, are from Haplogroup R1b, one of the most common European male lineages.
Still waiting for anything substantial to come out of this project.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

They are going to test the DNA of ancient Egyptians like King Tut and others like him soon - please keep us posted on what those tests reveal....some think the elite of ancient Egypt was mostly of White racial extraction.

Reid said...

Anybody think its suspicious how Hawass will only permit Egyptian scientists to work on this mummy DNA testing?

blue anonymous said...

Off-topic, this would probably interest you n/a if you didn't already see it.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/01/science/01arch.html?_r=1

AE7RS said...

One test is not proof of Darwin's R1b haplogroup. There is approximately a 1 in 10 chance of a non-paternal event per generation. We'll need to see collaborating results from some of Mr. Chris Darwin's male Darwin cousins.

n/a said...

blue anon,

Thanks for the link.

AE7RS,

Technically, you're correct in your main point. But 10% is a vast overestimate of false paternity -- especially when it comes to upper middle class families like those of Darwin and his descendants.

Anonymous said...

Interesting regarding the probability of being an ex nuptial child. A wise child knows his own father.

Most dna results of Y chromosome haplogroups are predicated on the man being tested is the son of his father, and his father the son of his. Otherwise the whole testing thing is an utter waste of money. In Europe, R1b is very common. The only way to limit the possibilities that your father is not your father is to get him and you tested for your STR markers and a reasonable number of markers, 37 to 67. If the results are identical or vary by just one marker, the man is likely to be your father. Then again, your father's brother, father's father, father's paternal male cousin could also be your father. Nothing can prove conclusively who your father is, just eliminate the one's who could not be your father. Lots of people like Chris Darwin have paper trails to their supposed ancestors which could be proven by dna testing to be all untrue.

Hawass is a ratbag, an egotistical one with little talent except for publicity. Talking about bastards. I wonder who his father is, some Nubian dickwad perhaps.

I believe from the STR markers of Tut that his predicted haplogroup is R1b.