There is probably no way to tell, but we might be able to find out if my son is related to Ghengis Khan.

We were coming home from IKEA. We had just bought my son his big boy bed for his birthday and I was listening to NPR. I rarely listen to NPR after I get home from work so I’d never heard Radio Lab before, but I found it fascinating. I listened to two stunning pieces, but this one struck me because there is a chance (though less of one in Korea) that we could be related to Ghengis Khan.

There was a team that was going to different areas and they were using DNA to study where people came from. From what I understand, DNA is always changing. However, there is a “Y” chromosome that is transferred from male to male to male that always stays the same. Using this “Y” chromosome, scientists can learn a lot of our history – where we originated, who we are related to… Anyhow, this team went out on a mission, but soon discovered that many of the samples that they took (from all over Asia) had the same “Y” chromosome. It didn’t seem possible that so many people in so many diverse areas could be related.

What they realized is that a “Y” chromosome from one single person was found in approximately 8% of the Asian population (possibly present in 16 million men). How could that be? They think that they may have found the descendents of Ghengis Khan. Supposedly, he was supposed to be quite a conqueror (lots of women) and he created a vast empire that covered the areas where they are finding the largest concentrations of men with this “Y” chromosome.

Anyhow, I attached the link for you to listen to. I hope you find it as interesting as I did. Scroll down to the selection that says "Ghengis Khan" and select the "Listen" option.

Link: Ghengis Khan