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A NYtimes article published today discusses DNA testing as a "family history research tool."

Among the famous whose DNA has been tested is Marie Antoinette, who belonged to maternal Haplogroup H (along with about half of all Europeans). Katie Couric (maternal Haplogroup K) is genetically linked to a 5,000-year-old iceman whose body was recently discovered in the Alps. And Jesse James? T2, a subgroup of maternal Haplogroup T.

Whether you've mapped your family's taproots or would rather forget them, you've probably had to at least consider those who came before those who came before you—for scholarships, or medical histories, or perhaps to rationalize some quirk or talent. I have to say I've never been that interested in the fame or foibles of my own genetic line backwards; maybe I'm a hopeless solipsist, maybe I'm banking on reincarnation; my lazy historical eye aside, there are a few notables who'd stand out whether I was wrought from their blood or not. Namely, my saloon-operating great-great grandmother who partied & patrolled in Buffalo, NY. And I'd love to be able to regale you with gypsy rock stars who flanked the Vltava River on my mother's side, but the results aren't in yet, so I'm going to hand this one over to you: who is the most fascinating, mysterious, or just plain irreverent person occupying a box seat in your family tree? Or: would you (or have you) shed some blood to find out more about your ancestry?