DNA in the news: ghost DNA signatures from ancient ancestors

A study published yesterday in Science identified signatures from mysterious populations of archaic humans before the time of neanderthals and denisovans. This article in the Telegraph provides a summary of the discovery.

Science. 30 Jul 2026.

Dad and Stormy

 

Photo by KDJ. Stormy & Dad.

An undated photo of my Dad with a dog named Stormy, likely taken about 1950-52 in Indianapolis. This is part of a set of photos taken by my Gumpy. Stormy appears to be a beagle or hound mix. I don't know if this was my Dad's dog, or the dog of my great-grandparents.

Diving in on DNA Skills

About two years ago, I decided to level up my DNA knowledge following the approaches of YourDNAGuide. I watched YouTube videos, recordings from RootsTech, joined Study Group,  sought guided instruction with DNA experts, attended RootsTech in person in March 2025, rejoined Study Group, and pursued a monthly pace of DNA research questions that have continued to today.

Study Group is winding down in September, but in its place I'm stepping up a level to the DNA Skills Workshop. This is more intensive, and a combination of online lessons and live sessions with a DNA expert coach, over the span of ten weeks. A complication for me during the ten weeks is primary work responsibilities and upcoming travel to LA, NY and Asia. But I'm going to dive in and give it a go.

I will probably be revisiting some of my challenging research questions, from the mystery Leyva matches connected to the Portillo family, and the complicated map of the two Campuzano families. I may use this as an opportunity to reconfirm the research on the father of Mary Alice Cain Read. I am also hopeful these techniques will help uncover the missing link to the family of my 3rd-great-grandmother Bridget, who likely traces back to Longford, Ireland.

The Skills Workshop begins next week. I'll be reading prep material this weekend, and aligning my research questions going forward for the workshop.

On top of the Leaning Tower

 

Photo by K. Jones. Me on the Leaning Tower. Oct 1985.

Here's another set of photos from our October 1985 tour of Italy. The shots above and below were taken in Pisa, in the Piazza del Duomo. For a while visitors were not able to climb the 251 steps to the top of the Leaning Tower, but visits are currently open again. I made the climb during our tour, as seen in the photo above.

Photo by K. Jones. Pisa, Oct 1985.

Photo by K. Jones. Tower of Pisa. Oct 1985.

Pompeii

 

Photo by K. Jones. Pompeii, 8 Oct 1985.

In October 1985, while our family was living in Germany, my parents took my sister and I on a trip to Italy. One of the highlights of that trip was a walk through the ruins of Pompeii, a city destroyed in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE. This was a formative visit for 11 year old me, capturing my imagination for history and travel. I later minored in History and Classics in college. This week National Geographic released a three part docu-drama, Pompeii Out of Time, with Tom Hiddleston (see trailer on YouTube).

The Nat Geo program focuses on the story of three Romans during the disaster, interwoven with Tom consulting various experts to understand how these people might have reacted and survived. I like that it tries to tell the stories of these people and the locations of Pompeii and Herculaneum in an interesting way. Yes, there's some cheesy bits with Tom freezing and rewinding time, but just watch.

Me & my sister in Pompeii. Oct 1985.

"History gives us facts - names, dates, places - and while all of this evidence is critical, it will never give us the full picture. How people felt, how people lived, how people loved...I hope that by combining these two things - evidence and empathy, history and story...I hope I've told their historia." Tom Hiddleston, episode 3.