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Ant and Dec's DNA Journey was very hit and miss. On the plus side it was great to see some practical examples of autosomal DNA cousin matching and some good genealogical research from @Brad_Argent and @familyandpast https://www.itv.com/presscentre/press-releases/ant-decs-dna-journey #DNAjourney (1/10)
I enjoyed the banter between @antanddec, and they were clearly genuinely moved by some of the genealogical findings in the programme. @Brad_Argent did an excellent job of putting the family history research into context. (2/10)
But the deep ancestry material was highly suspect. We do not know where mtDNA and Y-DNA haplogroups originated 1000 or more years ago. There is no scientific evidence that mtDNA haplogroup K1a originated in Mesopotamia or that H1 arrived in Ireland with the Beaker people. (3/10)
Yes there are some good Irish histories and in some cases it is possible to link people to the Irish annals but I very much doubt that there is good evidence to support the speculative claims made in the programme about distant Irish kings. (4/10)
The Y-SNP marker S660, a subclade of M222, which @antanddec share, dates back several thousand years and will be shared by a large percentage of Irish men. There is nothing special about this marker. https://www.genetichomeland.com/welcome/dnapedigree.asp?RecordID=51032 (5/10)
Why have Alistair Moffat on the programme as a so-called "expert in Celtic history" when he is nothing of the sort? ITV didn't even mention his surname on the programme. Was that deliberate because they were too embarrassed to do so? (6/10)
Alistair Moffat has a history of using his extensive media contacts for self-promotion and for the promotion of his business interests. We have a whole website devoted to his unethical antics. https://www.ucl.ac.uk/biosciences/britainsdna-saga (7/10)
We even published a paper in a peer-reviewed journal about the whole Moffat DNA saga and the legal threats he sent to @mt_genes and @djbalding to stifle academic debate. https://www.mdpi.com/2313-5778/2/4/47/htm (8/10)
There was also an excellent programme on BBC Radio 4 presented by @AdamRutherford looking at the problems with Moffat's now defunct company and other companies making similar exaggerated claims. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05vy4kb (9/10)
AncestryDNA, who sponsored Ant and Dec's DNA Journey, are a reliable testing company with a good team of scientists on board. If I were @AncestryUk I would be demanding a refund of my sponsorship. (10/10)
