Genealogy, the modern form of ancestor worship, has become suddenly fashionable. It has never been easier for people to track their ancestors down, thanks both to the internet, and to the numerous self-help manuals that this new fad has spawned. Perhaps, in an age of transient jobs and – so we are told - increasingly insecure relationships, it is not surprising that so many should seek a renewed sense of identity in their family origins. The trouble is that the trail usually goes cold after a hundred years or so, as official records start to dry up – unless a person happens to be an aristocrat, or the Queen, in which case an insecure sense of familial identity is unlikey to be much of a problem in the first place.
But what if there were a new test that could tell you, broadly speaking, where all of your ancestors have come from over a period of thousands of years? The short answer is that such a test does now exist. Recent advances in science mean that it is now possible to unlock a far fuller story of the genetic past than has ever previously been possible. Inside you – in your DNA – are the traces of every single one of your ancestors. By using a sophisticated computer programme to compare your DNA with a global databank, scientists are now able to reveal the secrets of your global origins.
Earlier this year, I was invited to take off my art critic’s hat and take part in a made-for-TV genetic-cum-cultural experiment. I was to present a show commissioned by Channel 4 and made by the TV production company previously responsible for the series Who Do You Think You Are?, in which selected celebrities go in search of their past. But...
