In the Orient, swans represent gracefulness, nobility and valor. They are also symbolize music. Stories from Siam and Malaysia mention swan maidens. Li Tzu reported that the Mongols made the Chou Emperor Mu drink swan’s blood. A Chinese idiom refers to someone who demands an undeserved reward: “You are a scoundrel who wants to eat…
Biology
Swans, both genera Cygnus and Olor, belong to the family Anatidae, which includes geese and ducks. They mate for life, although couples sometimes separate following a nesting failure. Young swans are known as cygnets from the Old French cygne, from the Latin cygnus, from the Greek kuknōs (swan). An adult male is a “cob.” An adult female…
Barnett Cemetery
I received the following from a Barnett researcher, but I’ve forgotten who it was. If you recognize this write-up, please let me know. Barnett Cemetery is located on what was the original land bought by John I. Barnett in Barnett Township Section 34 and registered in 1831. It is off the road perhaps about 1/4…
mtDNA Haplogroups
Each of us has inherited mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), along with the mutations that have accumulated in our individual family lines. Geneticists can test for these accumulated mutations. Individual test results are called a haplotype or mitotype. People with the same cluster of mutations belong to the same haplogroup, and are descended from the same female…
mtDNA Testing
Mitochondrial DNA is long, circular strand of DNA. (Bacterial DNA is also circular.) It is composed of 16,569 smaller units, called base pairs. Each base pair is composed of two nucleotides. There are only four possible nucleotides — adenine (A), thymine (T), cytosine (C) and guanine (G). Each nucleotide has a complementary nucleotide. So, along…