“My family has lived here for years….”

Fifteen years ago, archaeologists discovered some Bronze Age bodies in a cave in Germany’s Soese valley. In 2007, researchers asked people in nearby towns to donate DNA samples; they wanted to see if any DNA from living persons match any of the 40 skeletons.

Well,  Manfred Huchthausen and Uwe Lange were among hundreds of people who volunteered; the two live in neighboring towns and have been friends for years.   Huchthausen, 58, and Lange, 48, were matched to one of the 3,000-year-old bodies.  The match means the pair share a great-grandfather 120 times removed and gives them the oldest family tree in the world.