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The newest family tree recorded by researchers compiles data that spans a length of over 500 years. This family tree links together over 13 million people spanning over 11 generations. This number of people is larger than the population of Belgium or the population of Cuba. Why is this family tree important? Well, this data is important because it reveals the set of migration patterns and how people married each other in North America and Europe.
How was this family tree created by researchers?
They used a large amount of data that was taken from one of the biggest genealogical websites. How much data can such a website contain? Well, this one had the complete records of over 86 million people and it is working on updating their data continuously. 85% of the profiles recorded on this website came from North America and Europe.
What did the author of the study have to say?
Yaniv Erlich, the author, said that this study provided a family tree that is completely unique. In order to compile this data, they used a mathematical form to calculate the validity of the information provided by the website.
They found that as time passed people stopped marrying their cousins and tried to find partners outside of their own families. Up to 1750 people would travel for a very short distance to seek their spouses and up to 1850 people would decide to marry their fourth cousins. This data contradicts recent evaluations and it shows that, in the present, members of society are more likely to seek partners that are not related to them and that live further away as well.
When talking about genes, the team of researchers analyzed data from 1600 up to 1910 and found that the gene combination influenced up to 16% the longevity of the individuals.
The main conclusion of this study is that, up to an extent, we are all related to one another, whether we realize it or not.
