Sunday, November 23, 2014

Don't Miss the Special DNA-Themed Episode of "Finding Your Roots" on Tuesday!

This upcoming Tuesday is the last episode of season two of "Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr."  Fortunately, for all of us genetic genealogy enthusiasts, the theme for this episode is DNA! I will be making an appearance on the show to discuss the genetic genealogy of the guests, Jessica Alba and Deval Patrick, as well as that of Dr. Gates. (I'm not too happy to be appearing right after/before gorgeous Jessica Alba!)

Don't forget to check your local PBS listings for Tuesday night and set your DVR if you can't watch. Even with these wonderful guests and Dr. Gates at his best, genetic genealogy is the star of the show this time! Let's make sure this episode gets top ratings to show how popular genetic genealogy really is and that the audience wants to see it! 

That's me on set with Dr. Gates and his family tree


I just found a clip from the upcoming episode here.

If you have missed any of my behind-the-scenes articles for the PBS site discussing the genetic genealogy research from the show in more detail, you can find the links below.


Behind the Scenes of Episode Four
"Mitochondrial DNA or “mtDNA” is the type of DNA that is passed directly from a mother to her children. Since only females pass it on, it is an unbroken chain connecting us to our matrilineal ancestors stretching back through time. No matter how far back you go, you only have one direct maternal ancestor in each generation and she is the one from whom you inherited your mtDNA." 

Read more... 

Behind the Scenes of Episode Five
"Many have told me that last week’s episode featuring the three chefs was their favorite yet. Although it is impossible for me to choose which episode I have enjoyed the most since so much work was invested in each one, the research that I did on Tom Colicchio’s Italian family tree turned out to be one of my favorite cases of the season."

Read more...

Behind the Scenes of Episode Six
"Last week’s episode focused on the roots of Nas, Valerie Jarrett and Angela Bassett and their connection to slavery. Most of the DNA section was devoted to revealing their admixture and, for Nas and Angela, identifying specific ancestral origins in Africa. While this can be deeply meaningful, unfortunately, taking the next step is rarely possible for African Americans."

Read more..

Behind the Scenes of Episode Seven
"The episode that aired last week with Carole King, Alan Dershowitz and Tony Kushner did not include any DNA research, but that doesn’t mean that I hesitated to delve into their genetic genealogy. In fact, a short segment featuring Alan is included in the special DNA-themed last episode scheduled to air on November 25."

Read more...

Behind the Scenes of Episode Eight
"Sometimes no matter how hard I try, with so little time to research, I just can’t come up with a good DNA-related story angle for certain guests. That is pretty much the case for last week’s episode. This typically happens when the DNA supports the genealogical research well and there are no real surprises or mysteries to explore. This isn’t entirely unexpected for people who have primarily British and/or Colonial roots like Sting and Sally Field where there is a very good genealogical paper trail to follow."

Read more...

If you missed any of the episodes, they can be viewed here

We are already deep into research for Season Three, so don't worry, we will be back before you know it!