From time to time I like to reflect on the mathematics of genealogy, but I quickly get overwhelmed. Barring virgin births, everyone has 2 parents. Barring, incest, everyone has 4 grandparents, 8 great- grandparents, 16 great- great- grandparents, 32 great- great- great- grandparents`and so on, doubling with every generation. If you know anything about geometric progressions you would realize that the number of ancestors a person has in any given generation will get very very large, very very quickly as we move into the past.
Now, in order for two people to NOT be related what is necessary is the near-impossible requirement that their two respective geometrically increasing clouds of ancestors not overlap. But eventually, if you go far back enough, each person's theoretical number of ancestors in a generation will exceed the total population on the planet. In other words, there doesn't seem to be enough room on the planet for two people to really be from different "tribes". We are all at least distant cousins.
A special corrollary of the realization that we are all related is the fact that we are all related to royalty (or any sufficiently prolific historical figure). For example, everyone today of European descent is apparently descended from Charlemagne. A good discussion of this idea can be found in an old article which appeared in The Atlantic entitled The Royal We by Steve Olson
Last year, in a surprising turn, it was discovered that Barack Obama and Dick Cheney are cousins. And more recently, last month, Juan Cole over at Informed Comment wrote about how: Queen Elizabeth II was Descended from the Prophet Muhammad (saaws). (although this has been known among professional genealogists for a long time.)
See also:
britney spears may convert to islam
kerry descended from the prophet muhammad?
i'm back...
al sharpton and strom thurmond
Now, in order for two people to NOT be related what is necessary is the near-impossible requirement that their two respective geometrically increasing clouds of ancestors not overlap. But eventually, if you go far back enough, each person's theoretical number of ancestors in a generation will exceed the total population on the planet. In other words, there doesn't seem to be enough room on the planet for two people to really be from different "tribes". We are all at least distant cousins.
A special corrollary of the realization that we are all related is the fact that we are all related to royalty (or any sufficiently prolific historical figure). For example, everyone today of European descent is apparently descended from Charlemagne. A good discussion of this idea can be found in an old article which appeared in The Atlantic entitled The Royal We by Steve Olson
Last year, in a surprising turn, it was discovered that Barack Obama and Dick Cheney are cousins. And more recently, last month, Juan Cole over at Informed Comment wrote about how: Queen Elizabeth II was Descended from the Prophet Muhammad (saaws). (although this has been known among professional genealogists for a long time.)
See also:
britney spears may convert to islam
kerry descended from the prophet muhammad?
i'm back...
al sharpton and strom thurmond
