Richard Dawkins and Dr Yan Wong on genetic ancestry - Bang Goes the Theory - BBC One

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bang Bang Goes the Theory's Liz Bonnin recently used mitochondrial DNA to trace her ancestry right back to the earliest humans. It's a subject co-presenter Dr Yan Wong knows plenty about, and a great excuse for him to meet up with his old tutor Prof Richard Dawkins. The pair collaborated on a book, The Ancestor's Tale, and here they chat about one of its main themes: how lineages of different genes can reveal surprisingly different histories.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• genetic ancestry
• genetics
• gene
• Professor
• Richard Dawkins
• Dr Yan
• Bang Goes the Theory
• BBC One
• BBC 1
• ancestor's tale
• dna
• genghis khan
• haemophilia
• mitochondria
• mitochondrial eve
• yan wong
• y chromosome adam

[DorakoftheHillPeople]

@HenryMedhurst Better? Atheism doesn't make any assertions, and certainly doesn't propose that atheists are superior to theists. Atheists don't believe in a god or gods, full stop. Any assertion they might make may be incidental to the position of atheism, but it isn't necessary. Have you actually heard an atheist suggest otherwise, or are you merely inferring based on something someone has said?

[Exeunt26]

@rorrt I think the opposite - he can talk about the schism between science and religion because he's actually learnt his science and can show how they disprove religious creation myths for instance. Religious leaders on the other hand never accept evidence that contradicts their existing faith. A scientist will always respond if facts *prove* them wrong.

[RedStarBelgradefan]

@warriorprince1010 hahaha go and tell that to all these dumb scientists, it seems that they got it wrong

[infidelguy]

@summerlytriangle

Mitochondrial DNA is passed down from mothers to offspring. So males also carry their mother's MTDNA, however, those males cannot pass it down to their children, only the Y. So a male and female can have the MTDNA lineage tested where only males can have their Y /Father's Father, Father's Y-DNA tested for paternal lineage.

[warriorprince1010]

Any similarity in genes is evidence of ""a common designer". and nothing more.

[summerlytriangle]

Can someone explain 3:14 and the distinction they're trying to make? I don't know why I'm having trouble wrapping my head around what he's saying. Thanks :)

[summerlytriangle]

@hamishjim haha nice. 

[hamishjim]

All I can think about is Richard Dawkins and messy sex. Yum

[PillClinton19]

Man are ppl confused, religion says we're right and not changing, atheism just says we don't know and until evidence shows that's the only view we have, not to mention hello! There are so many religions hinduism,buddhism,islam,judais­m,christianity,confucianism ,daoism, why do ppl think only their group is correct? How blind r ppl, not all could be correct use your brain to think longer than 2 seconds,wen u choose religion it means you think others are incorrect, no1 knows quit trying to prove it

[BuildSC]

I just come.