If these old decrepit men fathered all these children are as bad as implied, why would they stick around or even offer their DNA for a comparison?
This is not CSI where there is an endless database that encompasses the whole country to work with.
How DNA Could Reveal Relationships of Texas Sect
Thursday, April 24, 2008
By Jeanna Bryner
~SNIPPETS~ link below for full article
To find a male child’s father, researchers will look for match-ups in DNA markers found on the Y sex chromosome, which is passed down from fathers to their sons.
“All males descended from a common male and female ancestor would have exactly the same Y chromosome passed unchanged from generation to generation,” said Allen, who is also director of the Human Identity Testing Laboratory. “So I will have the same Y chromosome as my brother, father, son, paternal uncle, paternal cousin.”
Mothers can be linked to children with DNA found in the cells’ energy-producing structures called mitochondria.
The mitochondria hold a separate set of genes passed down from mothers to their offspring.
Based on the age of the child, officials could then figure out how old the mother was at the time of conception and the age of the father.
The information will be news only to officials, as the mothers and children within this Mormon sect know who’s who.
“The question is whether some of these women were under legal age when they were either married or impregnated,” he added. “I think that’s what the DNA tests are probably going to try to show.”
Incestual relations?
The DNA testing could also provide incest clues.
more...
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,352504,00.html