Turi King
Turi Emma King (born 1969)[1] is a Canadian-British Professor of Public Engagement, and a Reader in Genetics and Archaeology at the University of Leicester.[6][7][8] She is best known for her work in "cracking one of the biggest forensic DNA cases in history"[9] during the exhumation and reburial of Richard III of England.[2]
Turi King | |
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![]() Turi King in 2015 | |
Born | Turi Emma King[1] December 1969 (age 50)[1] Nottingham, England |
Nationality | Canadian British |
Alma mater |
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Known for |
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Awards | Haldane Lecture (2018)[3] |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Genetics Archaeology History Forensics Genetic genealogy Surnames[4] |
Institutions | University of Leicester |
Thesis | The relationship between British surnames and Y-chromosomal haplotypes (2008) |
Academic advisors | Alec Jeffreys[5] |
Website | www2 |
Education and early life
King was born in Nottingham, England.[9] She moved to Canada at an early age and was brought up in Vancouver, British Columbia. She studied at the University of British Columbia and worked on archaeological sites in Canada, Greece, and England[6], before moving to the University of Cambridge[9] to read Archaeology and Anthropology. There she was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree. She won a scholarship to study for a Master of Science degree in Molecular Genetics at the University of Leicester, gaining a First with Distinction. In 2000, she started her doctoral research as a Wellcome Trust Prize Student at the University of Leicester, specializing "in tracing migration patterns by using genetics."[9]
Her award-winning thesis on the relationship between British surnames and Y-chromosomal haplotypes[10][11] was published in 2007, and eventually formed the basis of the book Surnames, DNA and Family History, which she co-authored with David Hey and George Redmonds.[12][4][13]
Career and research
![](../I/m/Turi_King_working_in_lab.jpg)
King's research[7][8] initially centred around genetics, genetic genealogy, and surnames, and using aspects of human DNA such as the Y chromosome to track past human migrations.[7] Her work has included tracing "the signal of the Viking migration to the north of England", resulting in her appearance in Michael Wood's The Great British Story – A People's History on BBC Two,[11] and in Michael Wood's Story of England. Her research themes involve combinations of molecular genetics with history, forensics, archaeology, geography, and genetic genealogy.
It was this background that made her ideally placed to lead the genetic analysis[14] involved during the exhumation and reburial of Richard III of England,[15] confirming the identity of remains discovered underneath a Leicester car park through the use of descendant DNA.[16][14]
Public engagement
As Professor of Public Engagement, King regularly undertakes public speaking at universities, schools and public events such as the Cheltenham Science Festival,[17] the Moscow Science Festival,[18] a Congressional Breakfast on Capitol Hill[19], the Galway Science and Technology Festival,[20] and the Queen's Lecture in Berlin.[21] She advises on numerous television programmes and provides genetic expertise to authors such as Patricia Cornwell,[22][23] Edward Glover, and David McKie.[24]
King has also appeared in a number of television and radio documentaries as an expert in genetic genealogy, forensics, and/or ancient DNA.[25][26][27][28]
TV, video and radio appearances
Selected bibliography[6][7][8]
- Scully, Marc; Brown, Steven D.; King, Turi (2015). "Becoming a Viking: DNA testing, genetic ancestry and placeholder identity". Ethnic and Racial Studies (Submitted manuscript). 39 (2): 162–180. doi:10.1080/01419870.2016.1105991.
- King, Turi E.; Fortes, Gloria Gonzalez; Balaresque, Patricia; Thomas, Mark G.; Balding, David; Delser, Pierpaolo Maisano; Neumann, Rita; Parson, Walther; Knapp, Michael; Walsh, Susan; Tonasso, Laure; Holt, John; Kayser, Manfred; Appleby, Jo; Forster, Peter; Ekserdjian, David; Hofreiter, Michael; Schürer, Kevin (2014). "Identification of the remains of King Richard III". Nature Communications. 5: 5631. doi:10.1038/ncomms6631. PMC 4268703. PMID 25463651.
- Appleby, Jo; Rutty, Guy N.; Hainsworth, Sarah V.; Woosnam-Savage, Robert C.; Morgan, Bruno; Brough, Alison; Earp, Richard W.; Robinson, Claire; King, Turi E.; Morris, Mathew; Buckley, Richard (2015). "Perimortem trauma in King Richard III: A skeletal analysis". The Lancet. 385 (9964): 253–259. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(14)60804-7. hdl:2381/33280. PMID 25238931.
- Bowden, G. R.; Balaresque, P.; King, T. E.; Hansen, Z.; Lee, A. C.; Pergl-Wilson, G.; Hurley, E.; Roberts, S. J.; Waite, P.; Jesch, J.; Jones, A. L.; Thomas, M. G.; Harding, S. E.; Jobling, M. A. (2008). "Excavating Past Population Structures by Surname-Based Sampling: The Genetic Legacy of the Vikings in Northwest England". Molecular Biology and Evolution. 25 (2): 301–309. doi:10.1093/molbev/msm255. PMC 2628767. PMID 18032405.
- Balaresque, Patricia; Bowden, Georgina R.; Adams, Susan M.; Leung, Ho-Yee; King, Turi E.; Rosser, Zoë H.; Goodwin, Jane; Moisan, Jean-Paul; Richard, Christelle; Millward, Ann; Demaine, Andrew G.; Barbujani, Guido; Previderè, Carlo; Wilson, Ian J.; Tyler-Smith, Chris; Jobling, Mark A. (2010). "A Predominantly Neolithic Origin for European Paternal Lineages". PLOS Biology. 8 (1): e1000285. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1000285. PMC 2799514. PMID 20087410.
- Hallast, P.; Batini, C.; Zadik, D.; Maisano Delser, P.; Wetton, J. H.; Arroyo-Pardo, E.; Cavalleri, G. L.; De Knijff, P.; Destro Bisol, G.; Dupuy, B. M.; Eriksen, H. A.; Jorde, L. B.; King, T. E.; Larmuseau, M. H.; Lopez De Munain, A.; Lopez-Parra, A. M.; Loutradis, A.; Milasin, J.; Novelletto, A.; Pamjav, H.; Sajantila, A.; Schempp, W.; Sears, M.; Tolun, A.; Tyler-Smith, C.; Van Geystelen, A.; Watkins, S.; Winney, B.; Jobling, M. A. (2014). "The Y-Chromosome Tree Bursts into Leaf: 13,000 High-Confidence SNPs Covering the Majority of Known Clades". Molecular Biology and Evolution. 32 (3): 661–673. doi:10.1093/molbev/msu327. PMC 4327154. PMID 25468874.
- King, Turi (2014). "What can Genetics Tell us about Vikings in the Wirral and West Lancashire?". In Harding, Stephen E.; Griffiths, David; Royles, Elizabeth (eds.). In Search of Vikings: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Scandinavian Heritage of North-West England. pp. 165–78. ISBN 9781482207590.
Current projects
The following is a list of projects King is either heading or is involved with:
- The King's DNA: whole genome sequencing of Richard III[6]
- What's in a Name? Applying Patrilineal Surnames to Forensics, Population History, and Genetic Epidemiology[6][33]
- HALOGEN (History, Archaeology, Linguistics, Onomastics, and GENetics)[6][34]
- The Irish Surnames Project[6]
- The Mary Jane Kelly Project, dedicated to confirming the identity of Jack the Ripper's final confirmed victim.[6][35]
Awards and honours
In 2016, King was appointed an honorary fellow of the British Science Association in recognition of her contribution to public engagement in science.[36] She gave the J. B. S. Haldane prize lecture of The Genetics Society in 2018, at the Royal Institution, London.[3]
Personal life
King is married with four children. It can be assumed that she has a good relationship with her father, as she relayed a secret message to him during the 2013 press conference announcing the findings concerning Richard III's remains; though sworn to secrecy by the University on the findings until the announcement, when she went onstage, King wore "a particular strand of pearls" to let her father watching from Vancouver immediately know that the DNA had been a match.[20]
See also
References
- Anon (2010). "Turi Emma KING". companieshouse.gov.uk. London: Companies House. Archived from the original on 2018-04-03.
- King, Turi E.; Fortes, Gloria Gonzalez; Balaresque, Patricia; Thomas, Mark G.; Balding, David; Delser, Pierpaolo Maisano; Neumann, Rita; Parson, Walther; Knapp, Michael; Walsh, Susan; Tonasso, Laure; Holt, John; Kayser, Manfred; Appleby, Jo; Forster, Peter; Ekserdjian, David; Hofreiter, Michael; Schürer, Kevin (2014). "Identification of the remains of King Richard III". Nature Communications. 5: 5631. doi:10.1038/ncomms6631. PMC 4268703. PMID 25463651.
- "JBS Haldane Lecture 2018 - Turi King - Genetics Society". Archived from the original on 2018-09-10. Retrieved 2018-09-10.
- King, Turi E.; Jobling, Mark A. (2009). "What's in a name? Y chromosomes, surnames and the genetic genealogy revolution". Trends in Genetics. 25 (8): 351–360. doi:10.1016/j.tig.2009.06.003. hdl:2381/8106. ISSN 0168-9525. PMID 19665817.
- "The DNA of a King: Dr Turi King on the genome sequencing of Richard III - Culture24". www.culture24.org.uk. Archived from the original on 2018-09-10. Retrieved 2018-09-10.
- Anon (2015). "Prof Turi King". le.ac.uk. University of Leicester. Archived from the original on 2018-03-29. Retrieved 2018-03-28.
- Turi King publications indexed by the Scopus bibliographic database. (subscription required)
- Turi King publications from Europe PubMed Central
- Waldie, Paul (5 February 2013). "Two Canadian links to Richard III". theglobeandmail.com. Toronto: The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 5 January 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
- King, Turi Emma (2007). The relationship between British surnames and Y-chromosomal haplotypes. copac.jisc.ac.uk (PhD thesis). University of Leicester. OCLC 505387627. EThOS uk.bl.ethos.484806. Archived from the original on 2018-03-29. Retrieved 2018-03-28.
- "The Great British Story: A People's History. Dr. Turi King". BBC Two. Archived from the original on 14 December 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
- "Surnames, DNA, and Family History | George Redmonds | 9780198736486 | Oxford University Press Canada". www.oupcanada.com. Retrieved 2018-09-22.
- Redmonds, George; King, Turi; Hey, David (2011). Surnames, DNA, and Family History. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19958-264-8. Archived from the original on 2015-12-30. Retrieved 2017-03-29.
- King, Turi E.; Fortes, Gloria Gonzalez; Balaresque, Patricia; Thomas, Mark G.; Balding, David; Delser, Pierpaolo Maisano; Neumann, Rita; Parson, Walther; Knapp, Michael; Walsh, Susan; Tonasso, Laure; Holt, John; Kayser, Manfred; Appleby, Jo; Forster, Peter; Ekserdjian, David; Hofreiter, Michael; Schürer, Kevin (2014). "Identification of the remains of King Richard III". Nature Communications. 5: 5631. doi:10.1038/ncomms6631. PMC 4268703. PMID 25463651.
- "Dr Turi King – genetic analysis". The Discovery of Richard III. University of Leicester. Archived from the original on 2017-01-15. Retrieved 2017-01-04.
- "Richard III: a 'car park king' timeline". History Extra. Archived from the original on 2018-09-23. Retrieved 2018-09-22.
- "The Times Cheltenham Science Festival 2015". Issuu. Retrieved 2018-09-22.
- Фестиваль NAUKA 0+ Archived 2019-12-05 at the Wayback Machine www.mos.ru. 7 October 2016
- Hall, Lynsey (January 2018). "JBS Haldane Lecture" (PDF). Genetics Society News. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 23, 2018. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
- "Solve the 500 Year Old Mystery of Richard III". www.galwayscience.ie. Archived from the original on 2018-09-23. Retrieved 2018-09-22.
- "Queen's Lecture 2016". TU Berlin (in German). 1 November 2016. Archived from the original on 6 February 2018. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
- "University of Leicester scientist lends expertise to new Jack the Ripper book". University of Leicester. 27 February 2017. Archived from the original on 30 March 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
- "The Mary Jane Kelly Project". University of Leicester. Archived from the original on 30 March 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
- Leith, Sam (28 August 2013). "What's in a Surname? A Journey from Abercrombie to Zwicker by David McKie – review". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 30 March 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
- "Britain's Secret Treasures (2012– ) Full Cast & Crew". IMDb. 16 July 2012. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
- "Secrets (2013– ) Full Cast & Crew". IMDb. 4 August 2013. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
- "Richard III: The King in the Car Park (2013) Full Cast & Crew". IMDb. 4 February 2013. Archived from the original on 30 March 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
- "Inside Science: Orion Launch; Fake Mars trip; XDNA; Richard the Third's skeleton". BBC Radio 4. 4 December 2014. Archived from the original on 12 March 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
- TEDx Leicester Richard III: Solving a 500 Year Old Cold Case (Webcast). Leicester: TEDx Leicester. 21 November 2016. Archived from the original on 12 January 2020. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
- Richard III – The DNA Analysis & Conclusion (Webcast). Leicester: University of Leicester. 2 December 2014. Archived from the original on 16 December 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
- Irving K. Barber Learning Centre Lecture, UBC. Richard III: The Resolution of A 500-Year-Old Cold Case (Webcast). Vancouver: UBC. 16 March 2016. Archived from the original on 1 June 2019. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
- Osmond, Louise; Woods, Pete (4 February 2013). Richard III: The King in the Car Park (TV movie). UK: Darlow Smithson Productions, Channel 4 Television Corporation. tt2677712 on IMDb.
- "What's in a name? Applying patrilineal surnames to forensics, population history and genetic epidemiology". www.le.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 2017-09-15. Retrieved 2018-09-22.
- jat26. "HALOGEN - History Archaeology Linguistics Onomastics and GENetics — University of Leicester". www2.le.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 2018-09-23. Retrieved 2018-09-22.
- er134. "The Mary Jane Kelly Project — University of Leicester". www2.le.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 2018-09-10. Retrieved 2018-09-22.
- "2016 Honorary Fellows revealed". britishscienceassociation.org. British Science Association. Archived from the original on 19 April 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2017.