Œh ^Jnrtlanò © bserucr
March 29. 2006
Page A3
Unlocking Bloodline Mysteries
con tin u ed
fro m F ront
profit that aim s to prom ote dialogue
about new genetic research and its
impact on p eo p le's lives.
He said there are more than 1 ,(XX)
genetic tests on the Internet, and
this abundance o f quick answ ers to
com plex q u estio n s has becom e
problem atic - results can be highly
variable and hard for the average
person to understand. But what is
most alanni ng about mai 1 order com
panies is how much DNA is float
ing around the postal system.
Earlier this month a public forum,
conducted by students linked to
G eneforum , discussed the poten
tial risks o f sending DNA sam ples
Field o f genetic genealogy. Family beyond the scope o f individual his
Tree was the first w orldw ide co m tory, it challenges accepted social
pany to offer genetic tests, and beliefs.
since 2000 th ey ’ve been "unearth
“W e’re all 99.9 percent identical
ing history" daily. T heirever-grow - at the genetic level," Fow ler said.
ing database holds 57,148 Y chro "W e’re dissim ilar with that remain
m osom e D NA (m ale) records and ing 1/10“’ percent.”
19,844 mitochondrial DNA(female)
Jennifer Doncan, an English and
records.
social studies teacher at Jefferson
Family T ree’s vice president o f High School, said the scientific ex
operatio n s M ax B lankfeld said plosion o f information has strength
they’ve mailed hom e tests to 60,000 ened the minority perspective.
people over the past five years. This
year alone they expect 35,OOOclients
to request kits, co n tain in g tw o
brushes, tw o swabs and two vials.
C lients are instructed to scrape
the inside o f their cheek, where
cells break loose with the most ease
"T here was a social construct
p erpetuated through the ed u ca
tional system ,” she said. "N ow it’s
very nice to have som ething we can
point to and bring up the ques
tion.”
D oncan has follow ed how g e
netic testing engages people in that
respect. She coordinates and hosts
Jefferson’s m ulticultural film festi
val, held the first M onday each
m onth at the school.
Ingredients for life.
Doncan said she’s not interested ternnnes a p erso n 's ability in an y
in mail order genetic tests, because thing intellectual. You c a n 't a c
she never had a doubt o f where she count for m otivation or success
cam e from. However, she sees a sim ply by looking at a person."
great benefit since the new expo
Fow ler said despite the opportu
sure is debunking racial myths.
nities DNA provides, there is still
“ Many anthropologists w orld m uch territory that we d o n 't under
wide never supported the idea of stand.
separate races, and now science
"M urky waters lie in the analysis
can say why they d id n ’t offer their o f genes,” he said. "The perception
support,” she said. "T here is no is that your genes are you. T hey
plethora o f characteristics that de- d o n ’t tell all o f your story."
SAFEWAY Ö
SPIOVS i* O cnsaj <
photo by S arah
B iount /T he P ortland O bserver
Reference materials from the Black Resource Center at the
North Portland Library, 512 N. Killingsworth St., offer tips on
tracing your history.
to com panies, w ho often give am
biguous privacy statem ents.
A side from legal and privacy is
sues, Fowler doesn’t find much fault
in the technology, other than the
incom plete picture it presents. He
said accuracy is one o f the central
issues in using D NA to trace roots.
"They only focus on DNA from
a m other’s or father’s line," he said.
“ Depending on how the test is car
ried out it, that may not give you an
accurate view .”
Fow ler said although results can
be partial o r confusing, the value
outw eighs the shortcom ings.
“I think it’s a unique situation
with groups like African A m eri
cans,” he said. “They have a unique
history and many identity issues
based on that history. It’s not sur
prising so many are utilizing these
opportunities, it’s really rew riting
their history.”
Curiosity Fulfilled
"Your ancestors left clues in your
D N A .. .unlock your deep ancestral
origins with DNA testing.”
The statem ent above is found
online at Family Tree DNA, a Hous
ton-based firm that pioneered the
and least pain.
They mail their DNA to Fam ily
Tree ($129 for fem ale clients and
$159 for m ales), w ho sends the
sw abs to a research lab with their
partner in a jo in t venture at the
U niversity o f Arizona. They draw a
com parison betw een a clien t’s spe
cific genetic m arkers and those o f
others in the database. They notify
the client if another person m atches
their results perfectly.
B ecau se o f a h ig h v o lu m e ,
B lankfeld said clients wait four to
five w eeks before they receive re
sults and a certificate by mail, along
with a passw ord for inform ation on
the clien t’s personal w eb page.
T heir w ebsite says sam ples are
kept in a secure, private and confi
dential non-w eb-based genetic li
brary for 25 years for a clien t’s
exclusive use.
Blankfeld said their research is
limited to paternal and maternal lin
eage, and clients seeking inform a
tion betw een those specific lines
need to provide genetic inform a
tion on other fam ily members.
A Paradigm Shift
Remarkably, DNA testing moves
To Go!
-. V•
1
Dairy Glen M ilk
Kellogg's Cereal
Galton Whole. 2%
1%. or Fat Free
■
S up to f S3 e 17
SAVE
The Spare Room on Northeast 42nd Avenue was the first o f a
string of robberies at local taverns to shake up both bar employ
ees and patrons.
Self-Service
Sandwiches
Cao-GotaCoupo' r awl
ciue price
hjuai os n a n wutT m u
Selected varieties
FREE
W
?
*
CLUB PRICE
12-Pack Coca-Cola
Fridge Packs
W ashington ZT hf . P ortland O bserver
Nabisco Ritz
SAVE up to S3 99 on 2
etui psi «
photo by M ark
bvyone . getone
12-01 cire SítecHd «M r
Glus »nee S2 25 « i
■I uj dW wU Orejón
SAVE up lo $10 96 on 4
Safeway Northwest
Grains Bread
24-Pack Budweiser.
Miller or Coors
2 4-0/
Selected varieties
SAVE up Io 9 0 (
12-0/ cans
Selected varieties
Plus deposit in Oregon
SAVE up to S4 86
ClUI PRICE
• Premium quality ingredients
• Prepared fresh each day
String of Robberies
continued
fro m Front
scribed as w hite and in their 30s.
She said they appeared to be under
6 feet tall, with a slim build.
The hold-up was believed to be
part o f a series o f robberies that
have taken place over the past
couple weeks. T he string started
M arch 13 at a bar called The Spare
Room on Northeast 42nd Avenue
w here police said six custom ers got
robbed.
On M arch 20, T h a tc h e r’s Res-
taurant and L ou n g e at 7 9 0 6 S.E.
S tark St. got rob b ed . T hen on
M arch 22, tw o m en arm ed w ith
guns forced ab o u t 10 cu sto m ers
to g ive them th eir cash at the
W ilsh ire T av e rn on N o rth east
42nd A venue, ac co rd in g to d e
tective Paul D olbey w ith the P o rt
land P olice B ureau.
Police d o n ’t know if the tavern
robberies are connected. A nyone
with inform ation that may help in
the case is asked to call police at
503-8234)400.
Northern or
MD Bath Tissue
24-Single roll or
12-Doubte roll
Club Pnce $5 50 ea
SAVE up lo S4 18 on 2
CapriSun Drinks
Variety Pack
4Q/6 75-oz. pouches
SAVE up to $4 00
CLUB PRICE
Shop at Horne. We Deliver.
sa few a y.c o m
C L U I PRICE
13 to t7-oz
Selected varieties
SAVE up to St 00 t i .
MAR-APR
S S ê i ? íe
}« PS A» I •* fOa’
s
Al 1.1IMITS ARE PER HOVSEHOID. PER DAY
lla llire
pnon m inn hi m a-reuwr
« your
«re l Mrany
«ran
win In
muunnu
X
r ¿nUI«™.
Î r T n«r
- U '-o
’ü
’ rtO
T? m No
5' dreai.
" wrl ‘P“’’1
'1 "h
* •‘"■f
I« l-r ilari
not tire
ird „drat
are i-r nm V1 .’ m
re,,-,n-,h
.n ,, F i
I
'*
a m ï T
il pnntrd
u 'Un Bin
Onr. G« Onr Frer ("BOGO !orirn,<u«umrr
mu«i “*
pcnhnrtSr
rial nor
lu m ruy thr tanno
BÓGO in
trim
,. u ln r I h.
t o n k v
i i i .nt.
Zr
itrm pur, hard, rht repulir prrer i(-plm Mreiutreturm umpunt m ir hr utnl .m pur, luir J nam onli - nut on trer nar.i IJflrih ¿ ¡a n y Mem. Im
{
S ignatu re
G arden S alad