Tracing Our Ancestors: Using Genetics to Investigate Genealogy

Rick Kittles is a pioneer in the practice of tracing ancestry through DNA. A professor in the Department of Medicine and the Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Kittles uses specific genetic markers to decipher our individual and collective genealogies. He did so as one of the researchers in the celebrated PBS series Finding Your Roots. At the Festival, Kittles discusses how human genetic research is increasingly challenging notions of race and biology, and why an accurate understanding of genetic history resides at the intersection of health, race, and society.
This program is presented in partnership with the UIC Institute for the Humanities.

[@MakeWay4CJ]

Dr. Kittles is absolutely great! It must be so rewarding for him to know that he's helped so many people reconcile with where they came from after they've had it stolen from them without feeling like they had any hope of ever knowing! Not only that but to understand and articulate to rooms full of people as to exactly why racism or colorism in this country is essentially a social construct may actually change how both "white" and "black" people see themselves and how they relate to the other people around him! His sense of humor can be awkward to most but he made me chuckle because as an AA I knew exactly what he was getting at each time! Thanks for posting this CHF!!!

[@Witnesses7]

Greatest lecture I ever attended. Thank you Professor.

[@kjshakurrn]

I just loved this! I'm at work and I'm watching it again.....

[@superwoman2479]

You truly deserve a Nobel, Thank you so very much!

[@thenbwkmtkspktrminc.4613]

Why he intentionally skippeD the Louisiana purchase, that wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for the Haitian reveloution . Why he skipped that . . i see through iT !

[@HerdItThruTheGrapeVine]

Fascinating, understandable and humorous delivery! Thank you.

[@paulneale988]

I love listening to Dr. Kittles talk about DNA and the sequencing of it. I've had my DNA tested and 61% of my DNA is from Africa. Ivory Coast & Ghana (15%), Nigeria (15%), Mali (12%), Cameroon, Congo & Western Bantu Peoples (7%), Senegal (4%), Benin & Togo (3%), Nigeria-East Central (3%) and Southern Banu Peoples (2%). Now, my DNA has been sequenced in that more than 90% of that is from my father's lineage. Now, saying that to say: because my DNA is so spread out across western and central Africa, how would it be narrowed down to a specific country, to say: Paul, you're lineage is mainly from Ivory Coast & Ghana, so you're from this tribe, etc.

[@Rony2453]

This is fantastic talk. Also, 23 and ME is an excellent way to find out a great deal about you ancestry and health issues!

[@vistasstardate888]

Yes, but it turns out that they sell your DNA information to the pharmaceutical research companies.

[@markbricklin3096]

Brilliant lecture!

[@geraldbrefka1145]

I will be attending the Polish festival in Chicago come September to share this great history with those I share DNA with.

[@clehner1]

Really great lecture, absolutely fascinating, cheers from Germany :) P.S.: I'll say "hello" to your ancestors, Dr. Kittles! :D

[@heartsnhands2783]

Loved this!

[@popperowner]

In response to the woman at the end of the lecture who wanted to know about an ancestor... If you want to know more about an ancestor within the past 5-7 generations who isn't on your matrilineal or patrilineal sides, the autosomal DNA test (as offered by FTDNA, 23andme, and AncestryDNA) is your best bet, but you can't be certain which DNA was inherited from which ancestor(s) on an autosomal test necessarily. You know your mtDNA is the same as your mother's; you know your Y-DNA is the same as your father's (if you're male). Your autosomal, on the other hand, is inherited by both sides. On an autosomal DNA test, you can only match with others who share your ancestor(s) in their trees. You can then look at the chromosome(s) and segment(s) where you overlap. Those overlapping segments can form the basis for your comparison in the future. If you're both descended from the same couple, then you don't know whether the DNA is from the mother or father unless you can connect to others who are only descendants of one OR are descendants of the siblings of one, and therefore share common ancestors a generation back. AncestryDNA doesn't currently offer chromosome browsing, so you can't do this kind of research there, unfortunately. But if you want to isolate the Y-DNA or mtDNA of a specific ancestor and you can't test yourself because you're not a matrilineal or patrilineal descendant, then your final recourse is to trace a patrilineal or matrilineal descendant and test that person. So for example, if you want to know the Y-DNA of your mother's father's mother's father and you're male, you can't test yourself, your mother, your maternal grandfather or your maternal grandfather's mother for that Y. You would have to track down a male descendant of that great-great-grandfather. Unless an adoption or name changed occurred, he should have the surname of that ancestor. His Y will match your ancestor's Y, again unless something happened, like a non-paternal event. This doesn't guarantee you're related to this ancestor, but that the Y of your cousin should be a match of the Y of that 2nd-great-grandfather you believe is your ancestor. The same with mitochondrial. Track down a matrilineal descendant and test that person.

[@shawngreene5594]

This is so interesting, but confusing.... So, if you are female you can only do matrial dna testing? If, I want to find out about my Y chromosome I would have to get a male family member to test?

[@vistasstardate888]

@@shawngreene5594 Yes, who traces back to that relative through male descent

[@shawngreene5594]

@@vistasstardate888 thanks.

[@dazedconfused5019]

@@shawngreene5594 To do the test for Ydna, this can be done through anyone that is a direct lineage of your Father's ancestry since the Y-chromosomes remains unchanged. This can be done through the brother of your father and also, this can be done through his son. It should always be done through male participants only since this is exclusively passed down to men. Good luck.

[@superwoman2479]

Excellence! Dr. Kittles is a Modern Superhero!

[@listenup2882]

Vijay Singh isn't from India, he's from Fiji but does have Asian ancestry.

[@ruthwright6247]

Great discussion

[@nixonmanuel6459]

Thank you!

[@thenbwkmtkspktrminc.4613]

Rather than skip the Louisiana purchase totally, Dr kittles could have elaborated a bit about that massive land purchase from the French.

[@lisstovall]

Great!!!

[@edrock8318]

Donald Trump in fact all republicans and democrats need to attend this lecture! You know what all Americans should get this lecture! So the absurdity of racism could be exposed and racial harmony and unity could be achieved!

[@PougueMahone]

WOW I learnt alot. We are all humans!

[@PougueMahone]

@Daphney Tennard LOL.

[@timfoinc.6879]

Peeled skins and sent to the sunny area. check the Teeth ,Bones, heights. There were Kn,big and Dan(DDan-to), red and short.

[@squarebear619]

Vanessa Williams parents are Black and she is not biracial but she does have white ancestry and most likely came from those paper bag type of Black people. However, we need to stop thinking that inheriting recessive traits are European traits because of the sheer genetic diversity of Africa and the fact that two Black parents can have a non albino child with recessive traits like blonde hair, white skin, and light eyes.

[@jothompson6531]

I just had my DNA testng done happy with my results

[@ElenaBlanca46]

We all have good hair

[@yaramyahawa6729]

4:03 reconcile differences 4:45 map lineage (14:45). 15:38 Gene Flow 18:18 White Men dna

[@mennehgambia1962]

thanks for the timestamps

[@lamaddussa]

this guy is hilarious :)

[@dwrighte1]

Both of Vanessa Williams' parents are "white"? Are you sure about that? One or both of them may be "mixed", but I was under the impression that neither was "white."

[@vistasstardate888]

He said one of her and Halle Berry's parents were white, not both parents of each of them.

[@dwrighte1]

@@vistasstardate888 I heard that and Inam saying, to the best of my belief and information , that neither of her (Williams) parents are white.

[@dwrighte1]

@@vistasstardate888 so, as I was saying, I do not believe any of her parents were/are "white" and I am standing by that statement. The proof is in the pudding and unless you have evidence to the contrary.

[@dwrighte1]

@@vistasstardate888 and one last thing. I was not addressing Halle Berry's ethnicity, but for the record, her mother is or was white and her father black.

[@geraldbrefka1145]

Hello I have something interesting to share about my Ancestry DNA results and I wrote the complete history of my ancient tribe. I was looking for viking DNA and found none. It took me two weeks to follow this rumor told by our dark age noblemen and I found these busts that the Roman's have 5000yrs ago and my family look like twins and my last name means the eyebrowbridge of the Sarmatians. I wrote THE FIRST HORSE PEOPLE it's the complete history of my ancient tribe the Sarmatian knights and the Amazon women. We were the very first horse people and the only tribe the Roman's feared and forced us to be their cavalry. They took the sons very young for 30 years Generationally for centuries. Which forced the daughters to be the warriors and defenders of the tribe. They didn't marry until the men would eventually return to the tribe, they had arranged marriages. They didn't kill the boys but sent them to the fathers to hide from the Roman's. They found their tombs 2yrs ago and have our DNA. All Slavs have Sarmatian DNA but we Poles have the most, we are 50/50 Sarmatian/Slavic.

[@squarebear619]

You should watch DW Slave Routes. The term slave came from Slav because they were the first slaves and are one of the reasons why there are Northern Africans with light skin now.

[@listenup2882]

The Romans certainly feared the Kushites.

[@pasander4371]

I do warn y'all. Insurance companies dictate much in how we live our lives these days. The ethics of the use of genetics is vitally important.

[@lesreed2442]

Modern, Day SLAVERY 😭✨🌎✨🤧🗣️👹🤡🧏🏾‍♂️🤦🏾‍♂️🤷🏾‍♂️🤔🔥🔥🔥🔥🥷🏾 Dictating, narcissist control freaks 🥷🏾✨🌎✨🤧# 🔥DETERIORATING,🔥 degenerate 🔥

[@chaanebe2328]

[a few] comments below did not at all surprise me. if he were in white skin- his years of study would not be questioned. nonetheless- interesting video; yes, extremely- interesting.

[@hasanx4637]

no, then they would have dismissed him as a liberal trying to crap on the persecuted white male.

[@johndean5036]

"And thats why J lo has what she has" lol. Mr. Kittles is comdiean.

[@SideWalkAstronomyNetherlands]

So did you visit Germany and look up from what part of Germany your ancestors came? Probably The North...you forgot that New York was Dutch...and many Germans lived there too..

[@Nghilifa]

Kittles was born in the south though.

[@matubbee8876]

My one drop of Indian blood makes me Indian Rick you're funny

[@yaramyahawa6729]

(23:18) (24:30 ). (27:10)

[@betweentwoaliceacook3954]

He is too much. 🙀😹😹😹😹😹😹😹😹

[@abeezysportsxentertainment]

There's a lot of black in OK he must don't know about Tulsa, OKC, and the Country towns.

[@SideWalkAstronomyNetherlands]

can't find any info on my roots before 1640 ish... all dutch, all cheese/dairy farmers... boring people :)

[@jacquelinedesmarais4108]

‼️‼️ you’re not rockin with cheese ⁉️

[@matubbee8876]

I could tell by your nose you are just as American Indian as myself and the other funny fact is that Henry Louis Gates may just be my cousin from my indigenous grand pappy Pedro Gates

[@besmith7093]

there was no color in the bible just nations, u had your census takers also that labeled people was they thought they were or what they wanted them to be

[@MKRex]

The Bible is a book of fiction.

[@ArnoldTohtFan]

egalitarianism much?

[@marybrown9537]

The Answer is in the so-called 'bible' in which is a story thru The Holy Spirit, to lead you to all TRUTHS! Have we yet to not trust man, let every man be a LIAR.. Trust Our Creator, Our Heavenly Father, for He cannot, nor does He lie!....Peace

[@AfricaNetworks-dq4co]

It is a big shame for the Black Race.

[@mtjoeng]

Go find black Jesus and you'll solve everything.

[@edwardblair1136]

I wish everyone was as colorblind , as you .. I am ama $

[@edwardblair1136]

OOPS!! EXCUSE big mistake,. I am a 77 white southern Male snd not From the ruling class

[@DR_Neal_Rigger]

Bullocks..

[@chaostheoryrulz6080]

Lol, TD Jakes Fulani Hausa? Lol, L1c is associated with pigmies! "In fact, based on population frequency, internal variation and mismatch distribution, we propose that L1c1b, L1c1c and L1c2 originated in Bantu ancestors, whereas L1c1a, L1c4 and L1c5 evolved among Western Pygmies.

[@Stgfre]

Genetic ancestry test are unreliable,and still in the early stages. There is a margin of error depending on the company that conducts the test. As the technology improves, the results of the test might change. The test should only test certain chromosomes that are responsible for racial characteristics, not all 23 pairs.

[@marieb3630]

How do you know this? Are you involved in genetics?

[@raven113p6]

Most of us are aware that this field is still in a discovery and building state...Are you involved in any of the fields that study genetics?

[@marieb3630]

As a matter of fact, I am.

[@deyanajenee9150]

The Margin of error that's given based on autosomal percentages is give or take 2-3%. mtDNA and Ydna are pretty much precise in relationship clusters. Just like there is a margin of error with the similar process of the paternity test. That doesn't mean they're not reliable. The confidence becomes more general to refined depending on the test. General results are pretty much solid because there is less of a gap

[@wizmcee8121]

There is no racial characteristics in human dna .. Check the 31:30 mark in the video. And since this video is old , you probably know already