Genealogy Books - The Seven Daughters of Eve

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Summary: My mutating mitochondrial grandmother
Comment: Genetic research is where all the science headlines are being made. If you are one of the scientists
making the headlines - good for you. If you are able to write well, and can make your subject
accessible to the layman, and do so with humor, all the better. So it is with Bryan Sykes and THE
SEVEN DAUGHTERS OF EVE. This is the sort of book that probably drives equally qualified, but
dry-boring-subject and less-literary-talented scientists green with envy. This book is a genuine
can't-put-down science thriller. The substantive subject of this book is the genetic ancestry of
Europeans, specifically Sykes' contention that 90% of Europeans can trace their maternal ancestry
back some tens of thousands of years to one of seven women, the most ancient of which lived 45,000
years ago. In taking us on a trip backwards to meet our great-grandmothers (thousands of times
removed) he reveals some very interesting tidbits such as: > The ancient Iceman found in a glacier
in the Italian Alps in 1991 was proven to be of European origin, and no hoax. Sykes also made the
first of his headlines by stating that Iceman had relatives currently alive and well in England. He
produced one of these persons - Marie X - for the press, and was able to prove from his large
database of DNA, that there was an "unbroken genetic link between Marie and the Iceman's mother
stretching back over 5,000 years and faithfully recorded in the DNA". > Sykes has established almost
to a certainty, that the bones found outside Ekaterinburg, Russia, in 1991 are in fact those of Czar
Nicholas II and his family. > He also says that Polynesians came from Southeast Asia, rather than
from South America. This not only disproves a long held belief, but because this journey is against
the prevailing currents and winds, makes them some of history's best sailors. Interesting as they
are, these are merely samples of what his DNA work is capable of. The real interest in the book is
in his research on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and how its unique characteristics assist in
determining ancestry. Mitochondria are organelles within cells that provide energy to the cell;
sometimes referred to as "the fire within" they possess their own DNA - mtDNA. Unlike chromosomal
DNA, mtDNA is not "mixed" (half from the male and half from the female) during reproduction; mtDNA
is passed down from the mother only and passed on unchanged - with one exception - at certain points
in time mtDNA mutates. These harmless mutations are not random but occur at specific and infrequent
intervals (once every 10,000 years). They are passed down through suceeding generations and act as
genetic markers of common ancestry. By looking at differences between mtDNA in living persons (Sykes
has a vast collection, and is constantly looking to add to it; readers can send samples to the
address provided...or Not!) and comparing it to samples from archaelogical specimens, Sykes is able
to trace ancestry. This is what he did in order to come up with both the seven daughters
(representing seven clans of European ancestry) and Eve herself (she came from a small human
population group in Africa). This book touches on all the current topics in human origins and
genetics. The debates about whether genetic variation is greater within a group or between groups;
the genetic basis for races; the "Out of Africa" theory on the origins of man. If any of this is of
interest to you, Sykes is more than willing to share his opinions with you, and he does so in a
lucid and very readable manner.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Educational, Evocative and Entertaining
Comment: Of the many science books I have read, very few have been as well-written and sheerly entertaining
as they have been educational.

In "The Seven Daughters of Eve," Bryan Sykes broadens the view of
human evolution, tracing migrations through time and around the globe. His descriptions of the
discovery and his defense of the paradigm shift of using mitochondrial DNA in anthropology are clear
and easy to understand.

The heart of the book is the fictionalized reconstruction of the lives of
the seven European "clan mothers" discovered by mitochondrial DNA analysis. Mr. Sykes weaves stories
of the day-to-day struggle for survival of women at different points in human history. The stories
are evocative, and connected me with the actual women more than simply reading "25,000 B.C." would
have done. I enjoyed the stories very much. I only wish that Mr. Sykes had footnoted which of the
objects mentioned in the stories had actually been found by archaeologists.

I loved Mr. Sykes' use
of the word "feminine" to describe the traits that have nurtured and supported human survival. This
book is an antidote to superficial definitions of femininity.

I would recommend this book to
anyone with an interest in human evolution. I would especially recommend the book to women who want
to feel a closer connection with their fore-mothers.

Customer Rating:

Summary: A Fascinating Take on Relationships
Comment: Brian Sykes has come as close as one can to explaining complex genetics to the layman. The book's
explanation of the scientific material is fairly difficult reading for the lay reader but the work
entailed in understanding the material is worth it if you are even remotely interested in either
archaeology or anthropology. While some might think that the academic controversey raised by Dr.
Sykes' finding does not add to the book, I found it fascinating in getting a look at some of the
infighting for bragging rights in this field. I found the book weakest when the lives of the "seven
daughters of eve" were portrayed. I would have thought that we might have gotten a little more
insight into their communal lives than was given in the thin chapters on this subject. That is why
I ranked the book only 4 stars rather than five. In a time when we are so self centered about
almost everything, its good to know how we are linked both to our past and to each other.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Cause for concern! ( feministhomemakers.com)
Comment: Bryan Sykes' book is exactly what I have longed to read all these years since the news first broke
about Mitochondrial DNA and its path to the original African woman who is the greatest-grandmother
of all living humans. This book is filled with powerful information and fun tidbits. It also is a
powerful temptation to find out about the reader's own ancestral mothers.

Because of this, I am
concerned (hopefully others are as well!) about the blatant money-making venture set up by the
author to coincide with this book. It is advertised on the jacket of the book--his website sells,
for a hefty price, the ability to have your own Mitochondrial DNA traced to one of the Seven
Daughters mentioned in the book (or other daughters he has discovered in the course of his
research). Readers are also given a chance to donate their DNA to his research project for the same
hefty price.

What concerns me is that in his book, he displays a careless regard for his promise
of anonymity to those donating DNA. He describes in the very first few pages how he cross-checked
his database (despite the separation of information for the explicit purpose of maintaining
anonymity) in order to identify a donor after requests came to him from the media. (He does say he
got her permission before disclosing her name to them--but hey, what about her permission before
trying to identify her after a promise of anonymity?) That little anecdote at the beginning of the
book shocked me with its lack of regard for his promise and soured me on any trust I might have
built up for sending my own DNA to him. I was especially creeped out by the marketing/financial
focus of his website,which is advertised on his book's cover.

In addition, I could find no
"informed consent" form anywhere on his website for readers who are contemplating sending in their
own DNA for either his service or for donation to his research project. The order form I received
from him in the mail contained no such form either. This amazes me since I had to read and sign an
informed consent form before my friend, who was working on a Ph.D in Social Work, could interview me
about my past life experiences. This was just in case my memories might cause me psychological pain.
But the author has no informed consent form even though he states that one of his services can
reveal brothers not to be fathered by the same man, as they may have thought. And his website
promises anonymity to those who donate DNA but his book reveals that he is willing to cross check to
thwart that anonymity. And no where does he say who owns the DNA once it is donated or that he will
make money from it, directly or indirectly, even as he uses it in a research project. All of this
strikes me as way too lax for a research project involving humans and a substance (DNA) at the
center of attention on ethics issues.

This all went toward diminishing for me the author's
credibility and the book's impact, which was a big disappointment considering how long I have waited
for just this type of analysis. I wish that important information such as this had not been so
flippantly made vulnerable to worries of lax ethics in its procurement and maintenance.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Couldn't Put It Down
Comment: My interests include history, anthropology, and genealogy and I thoroughly enjoyed this
entertainingly written and informative book. The way in which Dr. Sykes tells the story of how he
and his researchers used mitochondrial DNA to identify seven "clan mothers" from which most native
Europeans (regardless of where they live) are descended is compelling. The scientific discussions of
DNA are presented in a useful and easy-to-understand manner. Now I'm eager to find out from which of
the seven "clan mothers" I am descended.

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