DNA USA

An authority on ancient DNA analysis, Sykes (human genetics, Oxford Univ.; The Seven Daughters of Eve: The Science That Reveals Our Genetic Ancestry) provides a nontechnical introduction to how Y chromosomes and mitochondrial DNA may be used to reveal ancestral heritage. Combining in-depth interviews with volunteers along with these genetic techniques, he attempts to create a biological portrait of the United States. Using a travel diary approach to describe his three-month coast-to-coast journey, he introduces the people he meets and reflects on how ancestry and heredity play into our culture, customs, and beliefs. While Sykes acknowledges that the sample is too small to draw significant conclusions, the results provide interesting perspectives on life in early America. Despite the common tendency to categorize, these DNA portraits illustrate the complexity of human inheritance and how difficult it is to assign individuals to distinct groups.