Scientist unlocks DNA mysteries

The next Dewey Lecture will focus on scientific discovery — but, through illustrations, it will be entirely accessible to the audience at the Salt Lake Public Library.

Delivering the lecture will be Scott Woodward, chief scientific officer for the Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation, a nonprofit organization specializing in the study of DNA as a means to assist in family history research.

The intention is to "unlock the genealogy that is present in a person's DNA and correlate it with genetic information," Woodward said. "It will help someone who lacks the traditional family history information — such as who his grandparents are, for instance. By looking at his DNA, we can give him hints as to where he might look.

"This is a long-term project that will, hopefully, live on long after I'm gone."

Woodward's doctorate is in genetics from Utah State University. Currently, he is a Brigham Young University professor (living in Alpine) and is on leave for two years to develop a database to combine genetic and genealogical information. He is also the discoverer of a genetic marker used to identify the gene for cystic fibrosis, and he helped identify gene markers for colon cancer and neurofibromatosis. He is known nationally and internationally.

He makes reference to Carolus Linnaeus, a Swedish botany professor who classified the living world in 1758 as "Homo sapiens," then delineated four subcategories: red Americans, black Africans, yellow Asians and white Europeans.

The genes that are responsible for these classifications represent a small minority of all the genes that comprise an individual human being. It is Woodward's conclusion that these so-called "races" are much more alike than they are different.

According to Woodward, genetics can be "a tremendously difficult subject, but genealogy is a part of it we can all grasp. We all understand we are a product of our parents, and that they are a product of their parents. We are trying to identify bits and pieces of DNA that connect us all together.

"As geneticists, we look at human populations and find there are a number of bits we can share with large groups of people. Often the characteristics used to differentiate the races are skin color, hair texture or broad physical characteristics."