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Scientists Decry "Horrifying" UK Border Test Plan
cremeglace writes "Scientists are dismayed and outraged at a new project by the UK border agency to test DNA, hair, and nails to determine the nationality of asylum seekers and help decide if they can enter the UK. 'Horrifying,' 'naive,' and 'flawed' are among the words geneticists and isotope specialists have used to describe the 'Human Provenance pilot project.' The methods being used to determine ancestry include fingerprinting of mitochondrial DNA and isotope analysis of hair and nails. ScienceInsider blog notes that it is 'not clear who is conducting the DNA and isotope analyses for the Border Agency,' and that the agency has not 'cited any scientific papers that validate its DNA and isotope methods.' There is also a followup post with more information on the tests that are being used, and some reactions from experts in genetic forensic analysis. This story was first reported in The Observer on Sunday."
I was born in the U.S. but I visited the village of my ancestors, 3 generations ago in Belgium. The family name is Irish but I was unable to find a connection with Ireland at least back to the mid 1700s. What I did find was a relative with the same surname and a fairly strong family resemblance, a family grave from the time period of their great emigration. The relative had traced his branch of the tree back to Africa as all Europeans came from less than 3000 years ago (which really isn't that many begats when you get right down to it.) I was researching a short story on Ireland bipolar view on asylum seekers and immigration (only good when we're the economic migrants!) I was looking for a name of an early Irish king, who divided Ireland into tiny self-sufficient plots and whose son killed his other son (sounds almost biblical, doesn't it). His name is Ugaine Mor but I don't think the name will be plausible in my story because to modern ears it sounds African, and it probably was. People got around in the days before jet transportation. This nonsense where we pretend we are united only because of our mitochondrial DNA is silly. Another study showed that most black Americans have more DNA in common with white Americans than they do with African blacks. If someone contributes to their nation/community, follows the laws to not tread on others and if they treat others in their community with respect... I don't care where they were born or what their DNA looks like. This is one of the things the U.S. gets (mostly) right, if those with a vested interest in border economics don't emulate this daft U.K. system.