Getting to Know the Family Is Easy in Iceland

Fewer than a million people have ever been born on Iceland. When you ask an Icelander how long their family has been here, most will say, “We came with the early settlers” — those mostly Norwegian adventurers who fled the old country for various reasons for this bleak and remote alternative. Consequently, the island has a unique genetic homogeneity that presents fascinating opportunities for science and medical experimentation.

Nearly the entire society (90 percent) has opted in to a genetic experiment giving a research company access to all medical records. In the name of medical progress, genes are isolated and everything is organized into a giant Icelandic database. There’s even an app for that. It lets Icelanders check into the national family tree and see how closely related they are to the person they’re buying a drink in the bar. My guide said, “Nearly everyone is related, and it’s nice to know just who you’re sleeping with. My wife and I have a common grandmother in the ninth generation.”

For me, with my Norwegian heritage, I felt surrounded by cousins:

p6-guide-rick-cousin

Comments

One Reply to “Getting to Know the Family Is Easy in Iceland”

  1. Dear Rick, I would have guessed your heritage as Scandinavian, but didn’t guess so accurately that I thought Norwegian. This summer I toured the beautifully-done Norwegian American Museum in Decorah, Iowa. Have you been to see it? I think you’d love it. I also grew up around Norwegians in central Iowa and was shocked to learn that only about 3 million of them immigrated to America. Their impact seemed much greater to me. If you do go to Decorah, there’s another tourist attraction there that brings the most people to town. I think it is called Seed Savers. It is the largest library of heritage seeds in America. They have all kinds of fun stuff associated with celebrating vintage types of fruits and vegetables.

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