What's behind the rise in the use of DNA in genealogy and forensics? Find out with the BBC's favourite genealogist, Professor Turi King, including the first immigration case and her work identifying the bones of King Richard III.

Watch the Q&A with Turi here:    • Q&A: DNA family secrets - with Turi King  
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This lecture was recorded on 26 January 2022 at the Royal Institution.

The discovery of DNA, and indeed the ability for scientists to read the genetic code of organisms, live or dead, has caused a revolution in modern science. The applications of this runs the gamut from allowing researchers to hunt for genes associated with disease, to forensic applications, through to helping with animal and plant conservation. Turi King is an expert geneticist who has excelled furthering this research using an interdisciplinary approach, combining the field of genetics with history, archaeology, anthropology, and forensics.

Amongst Professor Kings notable projects include the use of DNA analysis to trace the origins of British surnames; the exploration of genetic legacy of the Vikings in the British Isles through a combination of genetic surveys of modern populations and historical records, such Henry VIII’s tax rolls, and the exhumation and identification of King Richard III of England, an achievement cited as one the biggest forensic DNA cases in history.

Starting in March 2021, Professor King co-presented BBC Two show DNA Family Secrets alongside Stacey Dooley. Each episode follows three people – two of these trying to find out about their family history or ancestry, and another who is seeking to find answers about a genetic disease in the family. Dooley and Professor King work with a large team of genealogists, social workers, and doctors to reveal unknown ancestry, find missing relatives and detect genetic disease before it's too late. They are currently in production of the third series.

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Turi started her career in archaeology, first in Canada and later reading for a degree in Archaeology and Anthropology at the University of Cambridge. Graduating with a BA(Hons), she then went to study at the world-famous Genetics Department at the University of Leicester on a scholarship, to read for an MSc in Molecular Genetics.

She went on to study for a PhD in Molecular Genetics on genetic genealogy. Her award-winning PhD examined the relationship between the Y chromosome and British surnames combining forensic DNA techniques with history and genealogy, the first large scale study of its kind. Professor Sir Alec Jeffreys,who invented DNA fingerprinting, was one of her PhD advisors. Named as one of the world’s ‘rockstar genealogists’, her work since has covered not only family history but the use of genetic genealogy in forensics and historical cases.

She is working on a number of forensic/ancient cold cases including King Richard III, Robert the Bruce and others. She has been conducting genetic genealogical research for over 20 years. For some projects she is under a confidentiality agreement and unable to speak about them but is happy to talk about cases for which she is not under a CDA.

Professor Turi King is currently featuring in BBC 2/Minnow Films DNA Family Secrets.

Turi is also Professor of Public Engagement and Genetics at the University of Leicester, and carries out a great deal of media and television work, as well as public speaking. She is an Honorary Fellow of the British Science Association, a Fellow of the Society of Biology, a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London, an Affiliate Member of the Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences and a Member of the International Society of Forensic Geneticists.

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