Context Recently, a living descendant of the famed Lakota leader Sitting Bull has been confirmed using a novel technique for analyzing fragments of the historic figure’s DNA.
The researchers compared autosomal DNA from Sitting Bull’s hair sample to DNA samples from LaPointe and other Lakota Sioux to establish the familial connection.
Sitting Bull
Sitting Bull, born in 1831, was chief and medicine man of the Hunkpapa Lakota Sioux, Native American group.
Sitting Bull was a Hunkpapa Lakota leader who led his people during years of resistance against United States government policies.
What is Autosomal DNA?
All of us are born with 23 pairs of chromosomes(with few exceptions) that were passed down from parents
X and Y chromosomes are part of the 23rd pair of chromosomes which determine what biological sex a person is born with.
The rest of the 22 pairs are called autosomal chromosomes.
Hence Autosomal DNA is contained in the 22 pairs of chromosomes not involved in determining a person’s sex.
Autosomal DNA recombines in each generation, and new offspring receive one set of chromosomes from each parent.
These are inherited exactly equally from both parents
Usage of this technique
Autosomal DNA tests can tell us a lot about our ancestry with a pretty high level of accuracy.
It can be used even when very limited genetic data are available.
The technique could also be used in forensic investigations.