Is it genetically safe to marry your cousin ?

The Genetics of Cousin Marriages
James MacDonald

In much of the world, consanguineous marriage between cousins is very common. For most Americans, however, marriage between cousins is at best a punchline, at worst a taboo. In many states, it is illegal for first cousins to get married. The objections are ostensibly based on the risk of genetic problems. But is there an actual risk?

In 2005, Owen Dyer reported in BMJ that “A Labour MP has called for a public debate on the genetic risks of marriages between first cousins in Britain’s Pakistani community, after reports of an unusually high rate of autosomal recessive disorders among children near her constituency. Ann Cryer, MP for Keighley in West Yorkshire, said on the BBC television program Newsnight: ‘We have to stop this tradition of first cousin marriages.'”

The genetic risks in question are related to something called unmasking. It goes something like this: We each receive one copy of each gene from each of our parents. Thus, we inherit two versions of each gene (called alleles); one is dominant and one recessive. For a recessive gene to actually manifest in an individual, both copies of the gene must be the recessive allele. If an individual inherits only one recessive allele of the gene, the individual is considered a carrier who can pass on the illness to their offspring. But when an individual inherits two copies of a dangerous recessive allele, they the gene is said to be unmasked and inherit the condition.
Additional story and graph at: https://daily.jstor.org/the-genetics-of-cousin-marriage/
https://daily.jstor.org/the-genetics-of-cousin-marriage/

Can We Access the Memories of Our Ancestors Through DNA ?

We ask a philosopher about the scientifically-debated concept of genetic memory.

By Katherine Gillespie
Some psychologists, most famously Carl Jung, have theorised that we're born with the memories and experiences of our ancestors imprinted on our DNA. We're not necessarily unlocking them, but it's possible that our most basic survival instincts might stem from some long ago trauma experienced by a dead relative. It's a theory that's also subscribed to by television psychics, though, so you can see where things get tricky.

While you might not be able to remember the specific horrors experienced by a great grandfather in a WWI trench, or the weary footsteps taken by ancestors as they migrated from Africa to Europe, it's not an uncommon thing to feel in touch with those whose genetic material you share. We define ourselves by things like race and family history, and sometimes those experiences of the distant past feel very present.
So how possible is it that the memories of our ancestors are embedded into our DNA, perhaps influencing us in ways we are barely aware of?

Additional story at: https://www.vice.com/en_au/article/ypv58j/genetic-memory

South Carolina Archives Announces Large Digitization of Rev War Records

Press Release

Columbia, S.C. – The South Carolina Department of Archives and History (SCDAH) is pleased to announce that the records series “Accounts Audited of Claims Growing out of the Revolution in South Carolina 1775-1856” is now active and images are available on the Online Records Index. This record consists of 11,170 documents presented by citizens to the treasury in support of claims for military service, supplies, and other contributions rendered during the latter part of the Revolutionary War. Most of the files contain an auditor’s cover paper, which includes the name of claimant, a brief description of their service provided, and the amount of their claim and its adjusted value. Additionally, if an indent was issued, its number and the claimant’s signature verifying its receipt were also included as well as receipts and affidavits to the validity of the claim.

Over the last six months, the SCDAH completed the process of adding these records to the Online Records Index. Our greatest appreciation goes to the Southern Revolutionary War Institute and Mr. Michael Scoggins for providing the images to the agency. Mr. Scoggins was instrumental in having the images scanned through a grant funded to the Southern Revolutionary War Institute from the National Park Service. Scoggins is the historian for the Culture & Heritage Museums in York County and research director of the Southern Revolutionary War Institute. This series is one of the most requested records series at the SCDAH. Records such as audited accounts are vital resources for genealogists and historians. Having a series as valuable and expansive available in a digital format is a milestone for any individual with South Carolina ancestry.

To view the record series, please visit the Online Records Index (http://www.archivesindex.sc.gov/). After opting to enter the Index, use the Advanced Search option, choose the Record Group “Combined Index to Records Series, 1675-1929” and the Series “ S108092: Accounts Audited of Claims Growing Out of the Revolution.” For questions about this series, please contact us at 803-896-0339 or info@scdah.sc.gov.

About the South Carolina Department of Archives and History

The South Carolina Department of Archives and History is an independent state agency whose mission is to preserve and promote the documentary and cultural heritage of the Palmetto State. The department houses one of the most comprehensive state archival collections in the nation, spanning more than 325 years of South Carolina history. 

https://scdah.sc.gov/news/2018-07/scdah-announces-digitization-over-11000-revolutionary-war-records

Need some extra cash ? Would you consider 'selling' or 'renting' your DNA ?

Consumers will soon be able to sell or rent their DNA to scientists who are trying to fight diseases as different as dementia, lupus and leukemia.

Bio-brokers want to collect everything from someone’s 23andMe and Ancestry.com gene data to fully sequenced genomes.
The data would be sold or rented to biomedical institutes, universities and pharmaceutical companies, generating money for consumers who share their genetic secrets.


The roundup is mostly led by Luna DNA of Solana Beach and Nebula Genomics of San Francisco, startups that are still figuring out how much a person would be paid for their contribution.
It’s part of the booming bio-economy, where so-called “sequencing subsidies” are starting to emerge.
Scientists say they need enormous amounts of genetic data from across different ethnic, racial and age groups, and different genders, to develop diagnostics and drugs.

Additional story at: The San Diego Union-Tribune: http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/science/sd-me-genes-consumerguide-20180514-story.html
(photo/its.gov)

Cherry Fritters - 1915

Like to prowl yard sales for vintage cookbooks ? So do I, among other "treasures, " to uncover. A recent find was, The Boston Cooking School Cookbook, by Fannie Merritt Farmer, copyright 1918.

In 1902, Mrs. Farmer left the Boston Cooking School and founded Farmer's School of Cookery. In addition to running her school, she traveled to speaking engagements around the United States and continued to write cookbooks. In 1904, she published Food and Cookery for the Sick and Convalescent, which provided food recommendations for specific diseases, nutritional information for children and information on the digestive system, among other topics.

Farmer's expertise in the areas of nutrition and illness led her to lecture at Harvard Medical School. Farmer died January 15, 1915, at age 57. After her death, Alice Bradley, who taught at Miss Farmer's School of Cookery, took over the business and ran it until the mid-1940s. The Fannie Farmer Cookbook is still in print today.

Here's a sampling of a special treat from this vintage cookbook.


Cherry Fritters
2 cups scalded milk
1/4 cup corn-starch
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup cold milk
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup Marachino cherries
Mix corn-starch, flour, sugar and salt. Dilute with cold milk and add beaten yolks; then add gradually to scalded milk and cook fifteen minutes in a double boiler. Add cherries, pour into a buttered shallow tin, and cool.

Turn on a board, cut in squares, dip in flour, egg and crumbs, fry in deep fat, and drain. Serve with the Marachino Sauce.

Marachino Sauce
2/3 cup boiling water
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons corn-starch
1/4 cup Marachino cherries, cut in halves
1/2 cup Marachino syrup
1/2 tablespoon butter
Mix sugar and corn-starch, add gradually to boiling water, stirring constantly. Boil for five minutes, and add the cherries, syrup and butter.
(The Boston Cooking School Cookbook 1918)

Amazing new database of 18th and 19th Century Ireland launched

How was Ireland depicted in illustrations produced by traveller's from 1680 to 1860?

A new database of images drawn from travel accounts answers this question.

Based on years of research by a group of investigators at NUI Galway led by Professor Jane Conroy, Ireland Illustrated is now available to view online.

Ireland Illustrated, 1680-1860, is a database of over 500 images of Ireland – woodcuts, water colors,  engravings and other illustrations – with related text, drawn from more than 50 manuscript and printed works, and highlighting several neglected or rarely accessible sources.
Many of the pictures in the database, woodcuts, water colors, engravings and other illustrations, have rarely, if ever, been seen by the public.
(Galway Daily)

Additional story and sketches at: https://www.galwaydaily.com/news/amazing-new-database-with-pics-of-18th-and-19th-century-ireland-launched/

Scotch Tape - the curse of every conservator

Sticky tape was first invented in the mid-19th century, and it’s been making conservators’ lives hell ever since.

“Tape is the bane of the conservator’s existence,” says Margaret Holben Ellis, a professor of paper conservation at New York University. The problem is simply that tape works too well. Removing it can easily take off a layer of paper, and adhesives from old tape can sink into paper, staining it an unsightly yellow or brown.
You can’t really blame people for using tape, says Elissa O’Loughlin, a former conservator at the Walters Art Museum, who co-teaches a five-day course on paper conservation. “It’s just human nature,” she says. “It was seen as a miracle product.” Pressure-sensitive tape, to use the official term, is much more convenient and easy to use compared to older adhesives that required heat or water. Of course, people would use it to repair rips in drawings and documents, without thinking of conservators in the future.

To read more go to: https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/05/how-to-get-scotch-tape-off-of-a-work-of-art/560738/