Related to a medieval king but no shared DNA?

+ why some nurses prefer temp work US Edition - Today's top story: DNA says you're related to a Viking, a medieval German Jew or a 1700s enslaved African? What a genetic match really means [View in browser]( US Edition | 29 March 2024 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( Top headlines - [US building pier to deliver food and aid to Gaza]( - [People in New Jersey still don’t pump their own gas]( - [Feeling … quizzical? Put your curiosity to the test!]( Lead story With the advent of direct-to-consumer genetic sequencing companies like 23andMe and Ancestry, amateur genealogists can use DNA matches to fill out ever more branches on their family trees. And as scientists start to sequence the genomes of historical individuals who lived hundreds of years ago, people can now even check whether they share stretches of DNA with a particular king or enslaved person, for example. Population geneticists Shai Carmi and Harald Ringbauer, who work with ancient DNA in their research, caution not to get too excited about a genetic match with a specific person from history. At the same time, a lack of a historical match doesn’t throw your whole family tree out the window either. Carmi and Ringbauer describe the surprising math behind why you have [way more genealogical ancestors than genetic ones]( – and why you may not share any DNA at all with some of your forebears. [[How faith and religion drive the world. Sign up for our weekly newsletter, This Week in Religion.](] Maggie Villiger Senior Science + Technology Editor A genetic match to an ancient person doesn’t mean you’re more related genealogically. Mark Edward Atkinson/Tetra Images via Getty Images [DNA says you’re related to a Viking, a medieval German Jew or a 1700s enslaved African? What a genetic match really means]( Shai Carmi, Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Harald Ringbauer, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology Genealogical and genetic ancestors aren’t the same thing. A DNA match − or a lack of one − may not tell you what you imagine it does about your family tree. Science + Technology - [What is Volt Typhoon? A cybersecurity expert explains the Chinese hackers targeting US critical infrastructure]( Richard Forno, University of Maryland, Baltimore County Chinese state-sponsored hackers are targeting critical infrastructure. Here’s what they’re doing, how the US government is responding and how you can help. - [Exploding stars are rare but emit torrents of radiation − if one happened close enough to Earth, it could threaten life on the planet]( Chris Impey, University of Arizona Some ancient texts record what were likely dying stars, faintly visible from Earth. If close enough, these events can disturb telescopes and even damage the ozone layer. Economy + Business - [Sam Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years − how he went from $30B crypto CEO to prison inmate]( D. Brian Blank, Mississippi State University; Brandy Hadley, Appalachian State University The downfall of the onetime multibillionaire holds lessons for investors and regulators alike. - [Competitive workplaces don’t work for gender equality]( Amalia Rebecca Miller, University of Virginia; Carmit Segal, University of Zurich Wall Street and big law firms are famous for their hard-charging, cutthroat work cultures. Here’s one reason they should reconsider. - [Why Jersey girls − and guys − still don’t pump their own gas]( Robert H. Scott III, Monmouth University The Garden State is the only one in the country that forbids self-service gas stations − and that’s not likely to change anytime soon. Politics + Society - [A new US-run pier off Gaza could help deliver 2 million meals a day – but it comes with security risks]( Tara Sonenshine, Tufts University This isn’t the first time the US military has turned to building a pier to help reach people during times of war or other crises. Health + Medicine - [Many travel nurses opt for temporary assignments because of the autonomy and opportunities − not just the big boost in pay]( Ivan Gan, University of Houston-Downtown A new study found that temporary assignments in new places reignited nurses’ passion to help others and helped them rediscover the meaningfulness of their work. International - [March Madness: The stars of women’s NCAA basketball face high expectations as the sport grows]( Nwakerendu Waboso, Brock University; Taylor McKee, Brock University This year’s NCAA tournament might represent another high-water mark for women’s sport as new standards are set for ratings and even more pressure falls on the game’s superstars. Trending on site - [Horses lived in the Americas for millions of years – new research helps paleontologists understand the fossils we’ve found and those that are missing from the record]( - [Bridges can be protected from ship collisions – an expert on structures in disasters explains how]( - [‘The Amazon of Sports’ has already cornered baseball’s apparel market – and is now on the verge of subsuming baseball cards, too]( The Conversation Quiz 🧠- [The Conversation U.S. weekly news quiz]( Fritz Holznagel, The Conversation Here’s the first question of [this week’s edition:]( Oral arguments in the case of FDA v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine were heard by the U.S. Supreme Court on March 26. Which of these is the name of the abortion drug at issue in the case, and not a car model? - A. Impreza - B. Touareg - C. Mifepristone - D. Aventador [Test your knowledge]( - - More of The Conversation Like this newsletter? 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