Researchers at the University of Leicester have examined the Y chromosome of over 1600 unrelated men, with 40 different surnames. Men were chosen for the research as they inherit the Y chromosome, and in most cases their fathers surname, where as women often change surnames through marriage. The results showed that men with unique surnames had one common ancestor in the last 700 years, while men with common surnames did not appear to have one common ancestor, but many. Men with rare surnames such as Grewcock, Wadsworth, and Ravenscroft often had similar Y chromosomes, while men with common surnames such as Smith were not similar. The reasoning behind this may be that unique surnames lived in geographically remote areas. This information is now being used to investigate the historical rate of children born illegitimately, which has been estimated at one in twenty-five, instead of the original one in ten hypothesis. The information will be further analysed in the hope it can be used to identify the likely surname of suspects in forensic science. For more information: http://www.scienceagogo.com/news/news.shtml
