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Everyone alive today has had a living ancestor at every point in history

Posted on 3/7/18 at 7:25 am
Posted by LSUTigersVCURams
Member since Jul 2014
21940 posts
Posted on 3/7/18 at 7:25 am
Going back to the very beginning of time.

Every person alive has one biological mother and one biological father. Four biological grandparents. Eight biological great-grandparents. Sixteen biological great-great grandparents, and so on all the way back.

So the number of living ancestors you had living on Earth at a given time can be expressed as 2 to the power of g where g equals the number of generations back you want to go.

But wait. If you conservatively estimate that there are 5 generations per century, going back 600 years or 2^30, you'd have had 1,073,741,824 living ancestors on Earth in 1418.

But the entire population of Earth then was only about half that. How can this possibly be?
Posted by TH03
Mogadishu
Member since Dec 2008
171036 posts
Posted on 3/7/18 at 7:27 am to
quote:

you'd have had 1,073,741,824 living ancestors on Earth in 1418.


What?

quote:

But the entire population of Earth then was only about half that. How can this possibly be?





Your math and reasoning are incredibly wrong.
This post was edited on 3/7/18 at 7:30 am
Posted by theunknownknight
Baton Rouge
Member since Sep 2005
57257 posts
Posted on 3/7/18 at 7:27 am to
OP’s ancestors were gay











but back then that meant happy.
This post was edited on 3/7/18 at 7:28 am
Posted by terd ferguson
Darren Wilson Fan Club President
Member since Aug 2007
108735 posts
Posted on 3/7/18 at 7:28 am to
Because people had more than 1 kid, genius.
Posted by BobRoss
Member since Jun 2014
1694 posts
Posted on 3/7/18 at 7:28 am to
Jesus, dude. It's too early for this shite.
Posted by Displaced
Member since Dec 2011
32702 posts
Posted on 3/7/18 at 7:29 am to
If a woman has only sons, she is the first of her line going back to the beginning of the species to not have a daughter
Posted by Itismemc
LA
Member since Nov 2008
4714 posts
Posted on 3/7/18 at 7:29 am to
You can 1/2 that numbers in the proximity of Tuscaloosa
Posted by jlovel7
Louisiana
Member since Aug 2014
21305 posts
Posted on 3/7/18 at 7:29 am to
I do wonder about my ancestors back to the ancient times. My dad has tracked it back to the 1700s in certain aspects. But it would be awesome to like flip on a tv and check out anyone who is your ancestor at any moment in their life. I’m sure some have had some interesting experiences, life’s, deaths....

frick it. We need Assassins creed in real life
Posted by theunknownknight
Baton Rouge
Member since Sep 2005
57257 posts
Posted on 3/7/18 at 7:29 am to
I think he is getting at the idea of huge ancient populations being wiped out because of ancient internet, social media, meteors, and volcanoes.
Posted by TH03
Mogadishu
Member since Dec 2008
171036 posts
Posted on 3/7/18 at 7:30 am to
quote:

Because people had more than 1 kid, genius.




No, he's taking the total number of ancestors you have in your family tree and thinking they were all alive in the 1400s at the same time.
Posted by Pepe Lepew
Looney tuned .....
Member since Oct 2008
36111 posts
Posted on 3/7/18 at 7:31 am to
I only thought I was confused this AM, I’m sure of it now....
Posted by theunknownknight
Baton Rouge
Member since Sep 2005
57257 posts
Posted on 3/7/18 at 7:31 am to
The 1400’s were called the dark ages for a reason.

The reformation was the first white flight.
Posted by terd ferguson
Darren Wilson Fan Club President
Member since Aug 2007
108735 posts
Posted on 3/7/18 at 7:31 am to
quote:

No, he's taking the total number of ancestors you have in your family tree and thinking they were all alive in the 1400s at the same time.


I just realized that... every one of my ancestors is immortal.
Posted by madmaxvol
Infinity + 1 Posts
Member since Oct 2011
19126 posts
Posted on 3/7/18 at 7:32 am to
quote:

But wait. If you conservatively estimate that there are 5 generations per century, going back 600 years or 2^30, you'd have had 1,073,741,824 living ancestors on Earth in 1418.



You aren't accounting for the Alabama Grandpa-Daddy effect.

ETA...pedigree collapse...
This post was edited on 3/7/18 at 7:36 am
Posted by gthog61
Irving, TX
Member since Nov 2009
71001 posts
Posted on 3/7/18 at 7:32 am to
Distant relatives marry all the time.
Posted by Pectus
Internet
Member since Apr 2010
67302 posts
Posted on 3/7/18 at 7:33 am to
Pretty sure biologists use F to represent generations, baw.
Posted by Bamboozles
BR
Member since Jul 2008
2302 posts
Posted on 3/7/18 at 7:33 am to
shite you went deep with that one
Posted by Placebeaux
Bobby Fischer Fan Club President
Member since Jun 2008
51852 posts
Posted on 3/7/18 at 7:35 am to
How many points does history have?
Posted by foshizzle
Washington DC metro
Member since Mar 2008
40599 posts
Posted on 3/7/18 at 7:36 am to
quote:

you'd have had 1,073,741,824 living ancestors on Earth in 1418.


Your family tree might have that many leaves at the end of the branches but some of them might be the same person. Or maybe a grandmother on one side and a grandfather on the other side were cousins. In fact that wasn't uncommon at all "back in the day".
Posted by Whataburger
95.60 Longitude 30.20 Latitude
Member since Jan 2018
700 posts
Posted on 3/7/18 at 7:36 am to
quote:

I think he is getting at the idea of huge ancient populations being wiped out because of ancient internet, social media, meteors, and volcanoes.


Let's not forget Global Warming
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