Ancient Family Tree

[Venusian Broon]

World’s oldest family tree revealed in 5,700-year-old Cotswolds tomb

DNA analysis of bodies in Hazleton North long cairn finds five generations of an extended family

www.theguardian.com

As an aside, I find the progress in methods to discover information, such as the above, is truly astounding and shouldn't be taken for granted. Science and technology is moving so fast that it's only with a longer life that you appreciate its speed!

Pre 1990s the idea that we could even detect a planet around another star was, as a young physicist interested in such topics at the time, I feel akin to science fiction in the general community. Now we have detected thousands of planets and deduced so much about them - and soon (fingers crossed) James Webb will be finding even more detail, such as atmospheres.

So to think we can take a pile of old bones and piece together information on such a ephemeral thing such as the family ties of a group of people 5,7000 years ago, I find just as amazing.

 

[Stephen Palmer]

Very well said.
We live in amazing times, well, scientifically anyway.

 

[Mon0Zer0]

It would be awesome to know if they had any living descendants!

 

[Venusian Broon]

It would be awesome to know if they had any living descendants!

This is from so far back - 5700 years - I'd posit that all of us (in Europe and of European descent) are living descendants of these people, given that technically "Everyone alive in the 10th century (AD - in Europe) who left descendants is the ancestor of every living European today" See:

So you’re related to Charlemagne? You and every other living European…

The advent of cheap genetic sequencing has given birth to a burgeoning ancestry industry. But before you pay to spit in a tube, let me give you a few facts for free

www.theguardian.com

However, I suppose there is the possibility that everyone in this group met a terrible end and had no chance to pass on their genes. But let us imagine that did not happen!