Monday 28 February 2011

The Scots: A Genetic Journey

The second episode of the new six part radio programme to compliment Alasdair Moffat's new book is still available (for another two days) on BBC Scotland iPlayer. Here's the blurb from the BBC:

In the second programme of the series, historian Alistair Moffat explores the history of the Scottish people, and where we all come from, in the light of new evidence from DNA science. It turns out that much of the history of population movement is written inside of us, in our genes.
Leaving East Barns in East Lothian, where you can still see traces of the land mass which once joined Scotland to the rest of Europe, Alistair tramps up Cairnpapple Hill near Linlithgow in the company of historical geneticist Jim Wilson, to discover the prehistoric traces of Scotland's first farmers, whose names are lost but whose DNA has survived to this day inside the bodies of modern Scots.

Further information on episodes one and two can be found here:
The Scots: A Genetic Journey - Episode one 
The Scots: A Genetic Journey - Episode two 
The Scots: A Genetic Journey : Episode 3
Alistair Moffat discovers how our history is influenced by the geography of Scotland. 
To be broadcast on Wednesday 2 March at 3.30pm BBC Radio Scotland. It is then available for seven days on BBC iPlayer.

Tuesday 22 February 2011

Who Do You Think You Are? - Olympia, London

The Scottish DNA Project will be represented at Who Do you Think You Are? - The national history show at Olympia, London from 25-27th February 2011.

The show features over 100 workshops from top genealogists and includes 23 talks on DNA and family history from Bennett Greenspan, Max Blankfeld and Mike Hammer from Family Tree DNA, as well as Brian Swann, Chris Pomery and Katherine Borges.

Talks this year include:
  • DNA for Genealogy - Basic Concepts
  • DNA Recruiting and Testing on Both Sides of the Pond
  • DNA Success Stories
  • New Frontiers for DNA and Genealogy
  • The Populating of the World According to DNA
  • Combining Traditional and Genetic Genealogy: lessons from leading surname projects
  • National Geographic's DNA Project - The Genographic Project
  • 'There's a Family History Here, Jim - but not (quite) as we know it!'
  • 21st Century Tools for the Genealogist
Come along to stalls 31 & 42 (they are next to one another) to meet the University of Strathclyde team who are overseeing the project. An event not to be missed if you are in the locality.