[Artemisia] Forensics and History...was " the princes in the tower discussion"

[Michael the Loud]

> Malkin, are you talking about specific DNA markers
> here? I know mitochondrial DNA is considered
> a "female marker".

This type of DNA is not used to determine gender.  It
is great to determine relationship and descendancy
through female lines.  This is not an exact match
because it is not unique.

> Although, with these two individuals, I doubt that
> the grave condition is very good. 

Moisture destroys DNA so it would be almost impossible
to find a DNA sample that is usuable.  The moisture
content being buried in a wall and later reburied
would have destroyed most of the DNA.  It is possible
to extract DNA from the teeth or from bone marrow if
those are intact but usually that's not the case in
wetter climates.  

There has been talk in the genealogy community for
year to attempt to identify those individuals where
grave markers have either been destroyed or have been
become unreadable over time (marble markers are known
for this.) Somebody being buried in a pine box
couldn't be identified after about 100 years unless
the person was buried in an extremely dry environment.
 This is why you see people like Sorensen doing
research connection genealogical research to
chromosome 19.

Male/female chemistry and stresses on the body based
on that chemistry makes identifying remains fairly
easy on post-puberty remains.  In the absence of DNA
pre-puberty remains are done on other artifacts that
accompany the remains.  With a partical skeleton on a
5 year old child, identifying gender is virtually
impossible without DNA.

NOTE: Much of these arguments are wishful thinking
like what you hear with stem cell research.  Not
saying that it can't be done but right now the
technology doesn't exist.  Not saying that it's not
possible just saying we aren't there yet.

DNA research is very interesting because they are
using DNA do even do historical dating and a good
example of this is on the Dead Sea Scrolls.  They are
dating events based on the genealogy of the goat hides
that the scrolls were written on.

The technology is adavancing every day but I wouldn't
give permission to exhume remains based on wishful
thinking because you are opening another Pandora's
Box.  You are going to get hit with every quack claim
so when the technology does exist you don't have any
sample remaining.

Just my 2 cents from working with forensic databases.

Michael

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