Genetics is Crazy

Have you ever thought about where you come from? You have 2 parents, 4 grandparents, and 8 great-grandparents. For every further generation the number of ancestors doubles. 8 to 16 to 32 to 64 to 128 and so on. By the time you reach the Middle Ages you have millions of ancestors. According to geneticists we are all 17th (or more) cousins of each other. You are descended from both kings and peasants, saints and criminals, and people of every conceivable occupation and moral belief. In every one of them were unique personalities and characteristics that were in some way passed down to their descendants.