DNA

SALT LAKE CITY - In what could be the modest beginnings of a worldwide genetic family tree, a Utah genealogy foundation has created an interactive database of genetic and genealogical samples which the public can access and contribute to in hopes of finding lost ancestors.

The Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation, established by Utah billionaire James Sorenson, has created a free Web site that allows interested members of the public to input their own DNA information into an existing database.


That data will eventually create extensive family trees that will allow curious amateur genealogists to find links with others whose genetic information matches their own.


Scott Woodward, chief scientific officer for the foundation, said the database is just the beginning of a project that will be expanded in scope over time. To date, DNA data from more than 5,500 participants has been catalogued, and the foundation plans to update the database every three months with new information.


Any potential "match" means people are related "with a high degree of probability," Woodward said, adding the probability is in the "high 90 percentile." DNA tests are especially accurate up to eight generations back, he said. Technology allows geneticists to go back as far as 50 generations, but the matches provided become less reliable because DNA can alter with time.


To participate in the project, a mouth swab test at a genetic testing company is needed. Saliva from the test will reveal coding sequences that define specific genetic markers found in Y-chromosome DNA. The markers are then entered into the database, which searches for other matches.


Participants are also asked to provide available family genealogy, such as names, marriage records and births.


The genetic portion of the database ensures matches despite spotty or inaccurate information about family lines, such as surnames that have changed or incorrect birthdates. But the database is designed to protect the identity of living people, Woodward said, with only people who lived prior to 1900 appearing on paternal pedigree charts.


Sorenson told the Deseret Morning News the project will highlight the similarities of people around the world, rather than their differences.


"We want to prove the science and let that carry us to the next level of kindness and dignity," he said.


It is no small coincidence, the philanthropist said, that the foundation is conducting its research within blocks of the world headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, considered the world's leading organization for family history research.


But the key to the research is science, said Sorenson, who is Mormon.


"We're fortunate to have some platform work done by the Mormon Church, but if we were trying to make this simply an LDS phenomenon, we would lose the rest of the world."

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